The Mole : Disguised Disgrace
by Princess Toady
Summary: The Mole is back for another season of deceit and betrayal! Watch as ten brand new contestants compete in various physical and mental challenges and struggle to come up with an answer to the question : who is the Mole?
1. Sporty Entrance

**The Mole : Disguised Disgrace**

This fiction is the property of Toady16/Princess Toady. Any reproduction, whether it is partial or complete, is strictly forbidden. Of course, you can find some kind of inspiration in my work (or not), but please, do not steal it from me. Who would want to be praised for the work of another anyway?

Now, let's get down to business. What is 'The Mole', you ask? The Mole is a game show which originated in Belgium and then made its way to others countries such as England, the USA, the Netherlands, Australia and the list goes on. Currently, it's still going strong in the Netherlands and I heard that Australia was going to have another season after an expanded break.

In this game, a certain amount of players must overcome various challenges, both of the physical and mental kind, in order to add money to a team pot, which only the winner will obtain at the end of the game. While it does appear simple at first glance, there is another twist that explains why the show is so interesting. One of the player isn't who they seem to be, they are a double agent hired by the producers to sabotage the group's efforts and lose money for the pot, all the while staying hidden.

The goal of the genuine players is to identify who the Mole is, for at the end of each episode they take a questionnaire about the mysterious saboteur. Questions such as 'what role did the Mole take during X challenge?' or 'what is the Mole's gender?' are asked to the players, and the one who scores the lowest on the quiz is executed from the game with no hope of ever returning. Since the quiz is about the Mole, they can never be executed and remain until the end of the game with two other genuine players who will later be known as the winner and the runner-up.

Now, a final note before starting the real story. I have already written a first season in English which you can read by accessing my profile. If you haven't read it yet, I would suggest to do so before you get spoiled. I also noticed that many people have been spoiled because of sheer curiosity, which is why I would advise not reading the reviews either. The story won't contain any spoilers pertaining to other fictions written by other authors, but there probably will be cameos.

So this is it and please review, I don't mind constructive criticism at all. In fact, if you have any tip to help me improve, please tell me. And don't forget to root for your favorites. :p

…

_A new beginning. The Mole is back for yet another season of deceit and treachery, hoping to discourage the players from earning any money, but nine new figures are up to the challenge of figuring who the traitor is, and even though the new saboteur wants everyone to fail, they know that one person will ultimately reveal them as the fraud. But until then, it would be fair game._

1 : Sporty Entrance

Mario Stadium, the biggest and greatest stadium the Mushroom Kingdom had ever seen. It had hosted many different events concerning different sports, such as Basketball, Athletic Competitions, and even Fighting Tournaments. However, on that day, it would host the start of an incredible adventure, a journey of several weeks, physically and mentally testing, which only purpose was to answer a very simple question : who is the Mole?

A very short figure was waiting in front of the stadium's huge metallic doors, smiling to himself as he waited for the contestants to arrive. He had a blue bow-tie on as well as shades which protected his eyes, vulnerable to the strong light emitted by the sun. Nobody but him was present on the scene as it was a Monday morning and people had either jobs or classes to attend to, so his surroundings were oddly deserted, giving the scenery a calm aspect.

Nodding to himself, the light brown mole began his speech. "In soon time, a bus will drop off our ten new contestants. They have been instructed to not talk to anyone on board of the vehicle until they reach their destination, so they are all strangers to each other."

The host took a short pause to swallow his saliva. "Nine of them have come here to win the whole competition, while the other has been assigned a secret job as the saboteur of the group. The genuine candidates have all given up their normal life for a short while and will soon become the Mole's preys. Or will they? One of those prey will eventually overthrow the Mole and become the predator. But for now, they can only wait in anticipation." Just as he finished that phrase, a green bus appeared in the distance.

As it came closer to the humongous building, the Monty Mole could not help but display a grin on his face. "I can't wait to see what this fourth installment of The Mole has in store for us."

…

At last, the bus reached its final destination and the host could discern the logo of 'The Mole : Disguised Disgrace', which was simply a green thumbprint on a black background. The mole had to muster all the professionalism he could to refrain from hopping up and down with impatience.

The doors opened, letting the first player out of the bus. She stepped down carefully and gracefully, watching her foot placement. Straightening her cape, she smiled as she reached the host.

"Good morning, I suppose you are our host, mister...?" She trailed, waiting for an answer.

"Hello, my name is Monty Mole," the host greeted her, finally revealing his name.

**First name : Shokora**

Surname : Enekora

Birthday : May 19

Job : Politician

Another one came after the former princess. Unlike her, they did not watch their foot placement for they had no foot at all. A huge grin plastered on his face, the contestant gave a thumbs-up to the camera.

"What's up guys?" asked the male casually. Monty Mole acknowledged him with a nod of the head and an unwavering smile as the player made his way to the little group. Shokora had a warm smile on her face as well.

**First name : Bullet**

Surname : Bill

Birthday : February 25

Job : Demolition Specialist

A third figure emerged from the bus as well, a scowl of displeasure on his face. He shielded his eyes from the strong glares of the sun and floated down the bus' steps with haste. Once he reached the others, they could tell that he was excited to be on the show as his eyes were sparkling with amusement.

"Hi everyone," waved the creature with his free arm. The others returned the gesture.

**First name : Boo**

Surname : Fanto

Birthday : October 31

Job : Spy

The fourth person was a short female who staggered a little as she escaped the bus. Once her foot had reached the pavement, she brushed one of her pigtails with her hand and made her way to the group.

"Hi ya people! Wow, it's sooo cool to be here with you all!" giggled the new contestant dreamily.

"Welcome!" Monty Mole greeted her back, grinning.

**First name : Waitress**

Surname : Serva

Birthday : July 4

Job : Waitress

A fifth player appeared in the bus. He stroke his mustache, apparently in deep thought. When he snapped out of his reverie, he jumped down the stairs, which was extremely surprising coming from someone his age, eager to begin the competition.

"Whoo! Who's ready for the adventure of a lifetime?" questioned the new player happily, provoking cheers of excitement within the group. "I say, we're going to have fun!"

"I already like this guy," Boo whispered in Shokora's ear.

**First name : Kolorado**

Surname : Raiver

Birthday : January 19

Job : Archaeologist/Explorer

Another female followed his steps afterward. Placing one feet before the other, she stepped down the few stairs separating her from the ground with caution, especially since she was wearing red high-heels. The beautiful female waved to the others as she strutted toward the group.

"A pleasure to meet you all," she smiled kindly, shaking Bullet Bill's outstretched hand with her own.

**First name : Blanche**

Surname : Magus

Birthday : April 22

Job : White Mage

Again, it was a female who went out of the bus next. Instead of using the steps, the nimble player simply jumped out of the vehicle with a cheer and galloped toward the group at a fast pace. The energetic player did a cartwheel and shook her head modestly when she heard the sound of applause.

"Hi everyone! It's so cool to be part of this show! When do we start?"

"In soon time, in soon time," answered the host.

**First name : Dixie**

Surname : Kong

Birthday : June 7

Job : Circus Performer

Right after Dixie turned around, a small boy wearing a blue cap on his head leaped off the bus and rushed to meet the others. Needless to say, he was very excited and glad to be part of the show.

"Hey, I'm not late, am I?" he asked as he skidded to a halt.

"Of course not! I think we're still missing some people!" replied Dixie, winking at him.

**First name : Goombario**

Surname : Goomarroon

Birthday : September 16

Job : Dojo Owner/Master

Another creature floated down the stairs of the bus. How he did so, nobody knew, but it looked like gravity had no effect on the sea creature who had a cheerful expression on his face. Moving his caudal fin, he reached the rest of the group. The others looked at him in incredulity. Stepping toward them, he was surprised when he saw them moving backwards.

"What? I don't have the plague," declared the blue creature bluntly.

"No but... Your nose's kinda weird," noticed Waitress absentmindedly.

"What she means is that we wouldn't want to get hurt," corrected Goombario. He laughed as he maneuvered around the creature to shake his hand.

**First name : Enguarde**

Surname : Espadon

Birthday : December 8

Job : Oceanographer

Finally, a tenth and last player appeared on the bus' steps. The translucent being with blond hair and pale blue skin floated to the group and marveled at the sight of the Mushroom Kingdom. Gasping in excitement, the female met up with the others with a slight smirk.

"I guess I'm the final one, right? There was nobody else on the bus." As if to reply to her question, the doors of the bus closed and the vehicle departed. "I'll take this for an answer."

**First name : Melody**

Surname : Pianissimo

Birthday : March 13

Job : Musician

"I'm so glad the bus ride is over, I was beginning to be a bit sick," Waitress sighed in relief. A few others nodded, showing their agreement.

"Yeah, but the sun is still annoying me," Boo pointed out, shaking his head in exasperation. "I should have brought shades with me."

"Don't you have ones in your luggage?" inquired Shokora, slightly surprised. Boo shook his head.

"Yeah, but there's no guarantee I'm going to have my luggage once we check in at our hotel."

"So what, now?" asked the swordfish. "Are we supposed to do something at this very moment?"

"Well, you could always turn your full attention to me," suggested the host with a small laugh. The players stopped what they were doing as they heard his words. Their small introduction complete, they had completely forgotten about him.

Kolorado shrugged in amusement. "Well, we're all ears now, old chap!"

"Well everyone, you know what you signed up for, but I still need to introduce you to the game. We'll enter the Mole's territory right as we pass these doors after all," Monty smiled, pointing to the stadium behind him. "First of all, I wanted to thank you all for attending this fourth installment of The Mole series and I wish you all a far and long journey in the game."

Goombario let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, hopefully!"

"Now, as you probably all know by now, this is The Mole, a game like no other. At first glance, you all seem like different contestants, all striving to obtain victory at all cost, but let me tell you that appearances are deceiving in this game. Indeed, one of you...is the Mole, whose job is to sabotage the group and render the players' endeavors futile."

"I just knew that wasn't gonna be easy," Bullet Bill crossed his arms, eyeing his competition.

"The Mole is cold at heart," jested White Mage, looking at the others. "Hard to think that one of us isn't who they seem to be." Her sentence was received with various affirmations.

"It is the traitor's job to hinder your progress while remaining a mystery for all of you. Your job, however, is to uncover the truth and unmask the traitor thanks to your detective skills," explained Monty Mole.

"I see... I've always had a thing for mysteries, ever since I went on an adventure with Mario," Goombario commented, happy to know that the game would not only be about challenges. "It's good to see we're going to be able to test our smarts!"

"Like, this Pennington guy would soooo succeed in this task," Waitress declared sweetly yet ironically, earning a few chuckles from the people who knew the said detective.

"So, how do the execution ceremonies work exactly?" wondered Dixie, cocking her head to the side. "I mean, I didn't get it when I read the application and they said it would be explained here anyway."

"Excellent question, my dear. Well, to determine who goes home, you will all take a questionnaire about the Mole at the end of each episode. The lowest scorer is sent home," Monty stated.

"And what if there's a tie? Both people go home?" Dixie insisted, wanting clear information.

"No, in that case the slowest one will be executed. Does that answer your interrogations?" The blonde monkey nodded, an earnest smile on her face.

"Many trials and ordeals await you in the future, but please note that you won't do all of this for nothing. All the challenges you'll play are worth a certain amount of money, and depending on how good you are in those challenges your team pot could be extremely high...just like it could really low."

"Up to how much can we win in the challenges you speak of? I mean the number of coins we could win in total," Melody interrogated, very interested.

"I cannot tell you how much it's going to be... But I know it exceeds five hundred thousand coins," responded the host. Some jaws dropped in disbelief.

"Now that's quite nice," Melody rubbed her hands together. "I could use the grand prize."

"No way! That's gonna be awesoooome!" Waitress cheered in a sing song voice.

"Alright! Let's do this, team!" Dixie yelled enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I'm gonna try my best as well!" Bullet Bill pumped his fist in the air.

Monty Mole let the excitement die out before chuckling. His laughter was heard by the players who looked at him quizzically. "I'm always overexcited when a new season begins," Monty Mole apologized. "But I need to verify something. Can someone tell me what the goal of this game is?"

White Mage sent him a strange glance, not quite understanding the point of his question. "To discover who is the Mole, right?"

"You are correct, Blanche. And what better way to do so than to ask yourself this simple question : who is the Mole?" The others stared at him blankly. "I reformulate : for this first assignment, I want you to tell me who you think is the Mole. Put the name of one male and one female, if you please," the literal mole demanded as he took out several pens from his fur as well as slips of paper he had hidden behind his back all this time. Hesitant at first, the contestants eventually complied

**Shokora** : _I knew this game would be full of twists, but I never expected to have to answer this question on the very first day. I barely know the other players and they already want me to pinpoint the Mole? Talk about an eventful day one!_

**Boo** : _When you have to make decisions like these, you always question yourself. How will it influence the game, what's going to happen if you're selected, are we voting out someone, etc... It's just too bad that my knowledge of the game is useless in these situations, because I doubt the producers would use the same twists over and over again._

Monty Mole excused himself from the group as he went elsewhere to tally the votes. The candidates were left to themselves, so they decided to talk.

"I honestly hope nothing bad will happen from my vote," wished Shokora.

"Yeah, if one of us is eliminated from the game, it's gonna suck for them," Enguarde agreed, biting his fin. He and several others were very tense.

"But why would he want us to reveal who we're 'suspecting'? I'm using this term very loosely because we just know each other's names!" Melody pointed out, aggravated.

"Well, brace yourself because here he comes!" Kolorado exclaimed, his body turned toward the host.

"It didn't take him long, do you think there was a majority against someone?" Goombario wondered, unnerved. "Man, this doesn't bode well..."

"Let's just calm down and chill out, guys," called Bullet Bill, waggling his finger. "'Cause you don't even know if it's something bad or not."

**Dixie** : _It was like super intimidating to wait there for the results of our votes. People say that ignorance is bliss. Well, not in this case, I tell you._

"I've finished tallying the results, so I see no point in waiting any longer. Would Waitress and Boo please step forward?" The members of the pair looked at each other and did as they were told. "Well, congratulations, you two are the Mole."

"Huh? But I thought there was only one Mole," Waitress hesitated.

"Yeah, I'm wondering the same. Plus I'm not the Mole," Boo crossed his arms in annoyance.

**Goombario** : _That tacked-on comment wasn't suspicious at all. Gee, if sarcasm was a liquid, you would be able to see it dripping from my mouth right now. But I suppose it also answers why he had the most votes for the males._

"What I meant was that you two were seen as the most suspicious ones by your comrades," Monty Mole elaborated. "You two will have a special role for the next challenge, so come with me, we must discuss some details of the mission first."

"Well thanks guys, it's great to know that I'm already an outcast," Boo rolled his eyes as he followed the host. Waitress, on the other hand, waved cheerfully at her friends, probably lost in her own little world. Once the trio was at a reasonable distance, the group resumed talking.

"You think we made the right choice?" Bullet Bill questioned. Nobody had an answer.

"Well, to be fair, I didn't put any of them down," Enguarde replied. "They didn't strike me as Mole-ish."

"Not like anyone would strike you as Mole-ish on day one," Melody remarked.

"I'm just wondering what their special role is," White Mage told everyone truthfully. Although nobody else voiced their concern, they were all intrigued as to what Boo's and Waitress' role would be.

…

Monty Mole addressed the other two. "So, how does it feel to be the 'Mole'?" the host asked jokingly. Boo laughed drily while Waitress did not seem to care at all.

"Did we win something?" she smiled cutely.

"Funny that you would ask that, because one of you will win something in the future!" Monty Mole laughed as he took a green card from his pocket. Boo immediately recognized it and gasped in amazement.

"That's an exemption! Is it for us? Oh, please say that it's for us!" Boo half-pleaded and half-demanded.

Waitress stared at the Boo in puzzlement. "What's an exemption?"

"It's a lifesaver in this game," Boo explained. "It means that you can't be executed at the execution ceremony, and though it only lasts one episode, it's pretty useful."

"But how do you know that?"

"I've watched the first three seasons, you know. I'm a diehard fan of The Mole." Waitress did not seem interested anymore in the conversation.

"Well, Boo is correct. And to answer your own question, Boo, I'm afraid only one of you is going to win it. In a few minutes, we'll start our own challenge which is quite straightforward. You will all play a game of dodge ball, best of three. It will be males versus females."

Boo tempted a look behind his shoulder to scan the other eight players. "Seems fair," he shrugged.

"The girls are gonna win!" Waitress giggled. Boo opened his mouth as if to protest but decided against it.

"If the boys win, Boo will earn the exemption. If the girls win, Waitress will win it instead," Monty carried on. "But be careful, because here comes the tricky part. The next challenge is also worth twenty thousand coins, and while an exemption will be awarded no matter what to the leader of the winning team, the money may or may not be awarded depending on your decision. You have to bet on the team you believe will win."

"I hardly see the difficulty in this task, I mean, we could just-" Boo stopped in mid-sentence, realizing that he was mistaken. "So... Unless one of us literally passes on the exemption, we can't be one hundred percent sure that the money will be won..." The ghost turned to the Toadette, hesitating. "I don't suppose you would give up an exemption?"

"Not a chance in hell," replied his opponent, still beaming. "It's the first episode and nobody knows who the Mole is, right? So everyone can be eliminated first, and I don't really wanna be this person."

**Waitress** : _I admit that I'm kinda scatterbrained sometimes, but that doesn't mean I'm dumb. Hello, who on earth would sacrifice their own safety for that of another? _

Waitress started looking in her apron for something as Boo stared at her, dumbfounded. "Ah-ha! Got it! Wanna chance it in a coin flip?" suggested the waitress of the Excess Express. As Boo nodded slowly, Waitress threw the coin in the air.

"Heads," Boo called immediately. Three pairs of eyes followed the coin's movements until gravity did its work and pulled it back toward the ground. Upon hitting the pavement, a winner was decided.

…

The ten contestants and their host entered inside Mario's Stadium, excited to walk on the same floor that the finest sportsmen had trodden upon. Gazing at their surroundings, they could see that the floor was very clean as it was sparkling. The same could be said of the bleachers. Overall, the stadium was in top-notch condition but seemed a little empty.

"Well, that's very interesting, I say!" Kolorado exclaimed as he ran inside. "I'm glad nobody's watching us, it would be quite overwhelming." Bullet Bill nodded.

"Yeah, maybe I don't seem like the type but I don't feel too well in front of a large audience," he concurred.

**Bullet Bill** : _I'm glad we don't have to do things in front of people and that our journey is recorded. I dunno, I feel safer this way. When I was younger it was already a problem. Maybe I'll face my fear in the future._

"What would you say if I were to tell you that this is only a short part of the stadium which is used to host basketball, volleyball and dodge ball matches? We're indoors, the true stadium lies ahead, but we won't have time to check it out unfortunately," Monty Mole informed.

"I-I don't know what to say," stammered Bullet Bill. "This is huge!"

"Personally, I would say that we're going to play a match of basketball or volleyball or dodge ball," replied White Mage with a laugh.

"And you are right, once again," complimented the host. "By now, you're probably all wondering what happened when Boo and Waitress were with me outside the stadium, right?"

"You could say that it was a popular topic of conversation," confirmed Goombario, chuckling.

"Well, because their names appeared the most on your slips of paper, both of them are now eligible for an exemption," the host announced as some players gasped, "and in case you don't know, an exemption is a free pass to the next round. Only the leader of the winning team will win it though. Before you ask, the teams are males versus females."

"Seems fair," Enguarde crossed his fins as he eyed the players. Boo could not help but let out a small chuckle, having an impression of déjà vu.

"However, while they were with me they also bet on the winning team, and if they correctly predicted who would win, twenty thousand coins will be added to your pot. This mission is called 'Dodge Ball', so I suppose I don't need to tell you which sport you're going to play, right? The rules are as follow : items are in play, if you're touched two times you go in jail, once in jail you can still help your teammates but you cannot go back to the main field, best of three. Is that clear for everyone?"

"I don't think we will have trouble remembering the rules," Shokora reassured, her voice sounding refined.

Monty Mole cleared his throat. "I'll give you five minutes to discuss with your teammates."

…

"So?" Goombario immediately asked Boo. "Are we playing for the money?"

Boo simply nodded. "Yeah, I called heads and was correct, so our team is playing for the money."

"Good call, old chap!" Kolorado congratulated him. "I'm fine with you taking the exemption, my boy!" Enguarde's reaction was not similar.

"WHAT? You tossed a coin to know which team would get the money? Are you mad?" An incredulous blue swordfish exclaimed.

"Woah, calm down Enguarde. What did you think? We both wanted the exemption and the money, it was the only way!" Boo rolled his eyes. "Besides it doesn't matter, we just have to beat them."

"Well, yeah. If you're really the one who won this coin toss. What if you lost it and are going for the exemption?"

**Enguarde** : _This isn't happening. Why would they bet twenty thousand coins on a coin toss? They must be mad! The worst thing is that we have no way to know for sure if Boo really did win the money, so I don't really know what to do!_

**Kolorado** : _Quite the predicament we were in, I say. But I decided to trust my instincts. I had a gut feeling Boo was telling the truth._

"I'd be fine with winning the game," Bullet Bill declared, after he weighed the pros and cons.

Goombario, however, was quick to shake his head. "I personally distrust Boo, and I think you should all think twice about what you're going to do."

"I'd like to, but we don't have time. I recall having heard from Monty that we only had five minutes to talk," Kolorado remembered. Everyone was unsure of what to do.

"I have an idea," Boo started. "How about the ones who trust me help me win the money while the others simply do nothing? The way I see it, none of you has any proof that I say the truth, and I have no further information to disclose, so we can only act based on what we believe is true."

…

"So, you're sure that you really won the money...?" Dixie insisted, twirling one of her hair strand with her finger. "I want us to have a good start."

Waitress giggled. "I sure am! Plus, are you gonna trust cute lil' me or that guy over there?" questioned the Toadette, jerking a thumb in Boo's direction.

"As much as I hate to agree with her, she is right," Shokora noted. "I don't trust Boo at all, some of the things he said were definitely weird. For example, when I asked him about his shades, he told me that he was not sure he would be able to get his luggage as soon as we reach our hotel. How is that not suspicious?" White Mage raised her hand.

"Why didn't you think it through, Waitress? I mean, the women in this game seem fairly more athletic than the men, so it would make sense to say that we're going to win this mission," White Mage explained.

"I dunno Blanche, Boo and I thought it was even."

"As if that were true!" Melody scoffed, eyebrow raised. "I won't let the men get the better of me and I hate losing, so I would have given my all even if you had lost the coin toss."

**White Mage** : _Hmm, what? Did I hear correctly what she said? Did she say 'Sabotage'? Because that's what it sounded like to me._

**Melody** : _I'm very competitive and I absolutely hate losing. People say that I have a temper, but it's not true, I just like it when I win a competition and when things go my way. And I am NOT losing this match, so the other girls better be on my good side._

"I'm great at sports," Dixie grinned. "Especially basketball and dodge ball, so I think we should win easily. Look at the others, they look weak."

"Looks are deceiving," White Mage reminded her.

"Still, the only threats in my opinion are Bullet and Enguarde, the others just seem to suck," Melody smirked.

"Well, let's do our best, girls!" Shokora smiled.

…

The two teams were facing each other in their own part of the field, while Monty and a player from the previous season acted as referees. Although Boo was labeled as the fan, everyone knew who he was.

"Hey guys!" Kooper waved at the ten brand new players. "Monty and I will both watch you play to make sure we're not missing anything. May you fare longer than me!" he chuckled heartily. Kooper took a ball laying on the ground and went to the center of the dodge ball field. "Will the two leaders step forward?" Waitress and Boo complied. "Okay, at the count of three, I will throw this ball in the air, do you best to catch it to get an advantage!"

Waitress and Boo nodded, staring at each other with fire in their eyes. It was clear that they both wanted to win.

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One..."

"Go!" Kooper shouted as he threw the ball in the air. Both leaders soon followed suit and leaped as high as they could to catch it.


	2. Dodging Bullets

**Moley Koopa** : Thanks for the review ! I don't know if Kooper will appear all the time, but he's sure to come back at one point of the story, since I sometimes need two hosts for the players are divided in groups. We'll see if your previsions are correct. :p

**Spike Brigadier** : Thanks for the support and I'm glad you enjoyed the first story as well ! ^^ So Boo is your favorite, huh ? Hopefully he will go far. ^^

**Kaiimi** : Hey Kai, I didn't think I would start it this soon either, but I had been planning for a sequel before the end of the previous season, which explains why it was rather quick. ^^ I'm glad that you liked it better than the first story's beginning. I can understand why, since the beginning was just...dramatic ! XD Thanks for your review and I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint !

**FFWS** : Well, sorry, I didn't really feel like using Peach, Daisy, Harmonie, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi and all the popular characters. ^^' I'm the kind of person who likes to use underappreciated characters, or forgotten ones. Not to say that Dixie, Boo, and Bullet Bill are characters that no one knows, but Melody Pianissima (Luigi's Mansion), White Mage (Mario Superstar Basketball and Mario Sports Mix), Waitress (Paper Mario : The Thousand-Year Door), Kolorado and Goombario (Paper Mario), Princess Shokora (Wario Land 4) and Enguarde (Various Donkey Kong Games) aren't really characters that people use. I did the same thing last story with the inclusion of Pauline, Flurrie, Bootler, Jojora and Noki.

**BoomShroom** : Thank you for your review, and I also wanted to thank you for the one you left on the previous story. I realized I never thanked you properly. ^^ Would you want me to tell you how the people you don't know look like ? I completely forgot about descriptions since it's obvious to me who they are, lol. I will take good note of your advice, as it is also something that I do in French a lot. The meaning is here, everyone understands, but it's not technically the best way to say it, so I'll try to remember it in the future. Eh, you're not whiney at all. XD

**Champ** : Sorry I didn't warn you ! XD Yeah, I wanted to do something different for this story and I'm glad you enjoyed it so far. I have to say that your analysis of potential Mole candidates is really good. I actually considered everu character of this story as a possible Mole at one point or another of the planning stage and we kind of have the same vision for some characters. ^^ I'm glad you like the cast. :p I never knew you didn't like Kolorado, though. XD Thanks for your review !

**PSULucky** : I'm really happy to know that you like how this second story is starting and that you already have some favorites. It's sometimes hard to give an idea of what the characters are like in only one single chapter, especially when they are all introduced at the same time, but reading your message I'm actually satisfied to see that I managed to do it for most of them. About Shokora, I think you will have a better understanding of her character in this chapter, as she's a little more developped than in the previous one. Bullet Bill is also a 'question mark' for me, because I know that, generally, if we were to give him a personality, he wouldn't be this friendly. But I didn't want to have another 'Jojora', and I didn't want to have conflict in the first chapter (it was the case for all three prequels). I have yet to determine how he's going to be (I have a general idea). I'm glad your vision of Boo is exactly like mine. Same for Waitress. Kolorado is a pretty interesting character and it's funny to see that he's the opposite of Bootler. I'm really glad that you have this vision of White Mage, because that's exactly what I was going for. Truthfully, it's hard to write for her because she's supposed to be mysterious. Dixie is also how I see her. I don't really know if Goombario is the youngest because if he is, it's only be a few years, which is why I didn't really make a point of it. Melody is also how I see her, and Enguarde is not how I intended him to be. I guess I'll have to pay extra attention to him. Thanks for this long review, it was a good read !

**Satellizer el Bridget** : You're welcome ! And I should actually be thanking you for your review. :p I actually don't really understand what you're talking about, but I don't want to confirm or deny because maybe you did catch a clue. Sorry, I just suck at riddles and since English isn't my first language, the only word that comes to my mind is 'note' and I don't know what to infer from that. *shot* XD I'm glad you liked this first chapter though ! And it's cool to see that you're on the lookout for any clue. :p

* * *

Previously on The Mole, ten brand new contestants emerged from The Mole bus, all hoping to have the adventure of a lifetime!

"_No way! That's gonna be awesoooome!" Waitress cheered in a sing song voice._

"_Alright! Let's do this, team!" Dixie yelled enthusiastically._

"_Yeah, I'm gonna try my best as well!" Bullet Bill pumped his fist in the air._

However, no sooner were they arrived that they had to answer a dreaded question...

_"I reformulate : for this first assignment, I want you to tell me who you think is the Mole. Put the name of one male and one female, if you please," the literal mole demanded as he took out several pens from his fur as well as slips of paper he had hidden behind his back all this time. _

Two particular names emerged from their choices...

_"I've finished tallying the results, so I see no point in waiting any longer. Would Waitress and Boo please step forward?" _

...and while everyone feared the results of this vote, the two chosen ones were relieved when they learned what they could earn.

_"Funny that you would ask that, because one of you will win something in the future!" Monty Mole laughed as he took a green card from his pocket. _

_"That's an exemption! Is it for us? Oh, please say that it's for us!" Boo half-pleaded and half-demanded_.

But the exemption had a price.

_"If the boys win, Boo will earn the exemption. If the girls win, Waitress will win it instead," Monty carried on. "But be careful, because here comes the tricky part. The next challenge is also worth twenty thousand coins, and while an exemption will be awarded no matter what to the leader of the winning team, the money may or may not be awarded depending on your decision. You have to bet on the team you believe will win."_

_"I hardly see the difficulty in this task, I mean, we could just-" Boo stopped in mid-sentence, realizing that he was mistaken. "So... Unless one of us literally passes on the exemption, we can't be one hundred percent sure that the money will be won..." The ghost turned to the Toadette, hesitating. "I don't suppose you would give up an exemption?"_

_"Not a chance in hell," replied his opponent, still beaming. "It's the first episode and nobody knows who the Mole is, right? So everyone can be eliminated first, and I don't really wanna be this person."_

And while a winner was determined by a coin toss, it looked like another issue had arisen...

_"So?" Goombario immediately asked Boo. "Are we playing for the money?"_

_Boo simply nodded. "Yeah, I called heads and was correct, so our team is playing for the money."_

_"So, you're sure that you really won the money...?" Dixie insisted, twirling one of her hair strands with her finger. "I want us to have a good start."_

_Waitress giggled. "I sure am! Plus, are you gonna trust cute lil' me or that guy over there?" questioned the Toadette, jerking a thumb in Boo's direction._

Unbeknownst to them, this lie would be the first of many...

**First name : Bullet**

Surname : Bill

Birthday : February 25

Job : Demolition Specialist

**First name : Enguarde**

Surname : Espadon

Birthday : December 8

Job : Oceanographer

**First name : Melody**

Surname : Pianissimo

Birthday : March 13

Job : Musician

**First name : Dixie**

Surname : Kong

Birthday : June 7

Job : Circus Performer

**First name : Goombario**

Surname : Goomarroon

Birthday : September 16

Job : Dojo Owner/Master

**First name : Blanche**

Surname : Magus

Birthday : April 22

Job : White Mage

**First name : Shokora**

Surname : Enekora

Birthday : May 19

Job : Politician

**First name : Waitress**

Surname : Serva

Birthday : July 4

Job : Waitress

**First name : Kolorado**

Surname : Raiver

Birthday : January 19

Job : Archaeologist/Explorer

**First name : Boo**

Surname : Fanto

Birthday : October 31

Job : Spy

2 : Dodging Bullets

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One..."

"Go!" Kooper shouted as he threw the ball in the air. Both leaders soon followed suit and leaped as high as they could to catch it.

"Yay, I've got it!" Waitress cheered as she surprisingly snatched the ball in the air, putting Boo to shame. She immediately followed with a weak throw in Boo's direction, and though it was rather slow it did connect with his face as he was close to her.

**Waitress** : _It felt so good to beat him and catch the ball in the air. It made me feel like I wasn't the weakest one of the bunch, and that's kinda cool if you ask me._

"Ah-ha, I got ya!" Waitress taunted before yelping in pain. Boo had retaliated and thrown the ball back at her with much more strength. "Ouch! What was that for?" she asked angrily.

"Oops, sorry," Boo tried to hide his mischievous smirk but failed. Waitress narrowed her eyes.

**Boo** : _I know it wasn't cool of me to do that, but come on, she had it coming! Plus it was fun to see her fuming after she was hit._

"It's so on, now. You're gonna regret this, ghost boy!"

Besides her, Melody was shaking her head in aggravation. "Do you think you could, perhaps, I don't know, FOCUS on the game?" yelled the blonde competitive woman. "And give me that ball, you don't even know how to play this game correctly!" continued the piano virtuoso.

Shokora immediately stepped between the two before an argument could break loose. "Ladies, please calm down for a second. Need I remind you that we are playing for twenty thousand coins? Keep the petty fights for later."

"Yeah, we don't need this kind of drama this soon into the game," Dixie agreed cheerfully. "The ball is in our camp, so I say we fire away at them and worry afterward!"

"Sure!" Waitress exclaimed, returning to her bubbly self. "Who wanna throw the ball? I admit I'm not really good at it." Dixie raised her hand.

"Give it to me!" grinned the blonde monkey. "I'll show you how it's done!" Waitress gave her the ball and Dixie ran toward the line separating the two sides. Once she was a few feet away from the other camp, she twirled her body and threw the ball toward one of the male. It was hard for them to determine who she was gunning for because the ball's trajectory was curved.

Enguarde's eyes grew wide as the ball made contact with his fin. "What the- How did you do that?"

**Enguarde** : _Dixie's throw was powerful and extremely curved, I doubt an occasional dodge ball player would be able to do that, which makes me think that she might have some experience. Maybe some Mole experience?_

Enguarde grunted lightly and picked up the ball. he was going to send it back to the other side when he floated above a small yellow panel which had a white interrogation mark on it and heard a small jingle. Soon afterward, a green shell fell right next to him. "What's this?" he asked to no one in particular.

"An item!" Kooper called out from the bleachers.

"Mmmh... What I am supposed to do with it?" the blue swordfish questioned his teammates, rubbing the back of his head in the process.

"I dunno," muttered Bullet Bill as he made his way to the shell. "Think we can use it against the girls?" Without waiting for an answer, Bullet Bill kicked the shell and sent it flying toward the girls. Dixie was fast enough to dodge it but Melody, situated right behind the monkey, took the full impact.

Seeing an opening, Enguarde wasted no time and threw the ball toward the fallen ghost who had no time to dive to the side.

"You're such a coward!" shouted Melody, furious. "Shooting a woman when she's down, have you no moral?"

"It's a game, and I'm doing what I can to win it," grinned the swordfish.

"I don't think she wanted to hear this response, my boy," Kolorado pointed out as the musician stood back up and glared threateningly at her attacker. "She seems quite mad."

"Let her be, this isn't like she'll be able to touch me," Enguarde replied cockily. Goombario rolled his eyes but made no comment.

Fueled by her anger, Melody sent the ball flying toward Enguarde, but the swordfish was ready for it and caught it between his two fins. "Who wants to throw it?"

Bullet Bill grinned and walked up to him. "Leave it to me!" The black missile floated at a fast speed toward the girl and threw the ball with great strength in a straight line. Melody, Dixie, Waitress and Shokora were all hit and fell to the floor as Bullet Bill high-fived Enguarde.

**Melody** : _You have no idea how angry I was at that moment. I was the first one out of our team. I was out before _Waitress_, of all people! But then I realized that it wasn't over yet, even if we were to lose the first game, it was a best of three. And Enguarde's a braggart._

"Dude, you totally showed them!" Enguarde congratulated him, impressed. Kolorado and Boo were also surprised to see that Bullet Bill was so strong.

"Yes, we're unstoppable now!" Boo smirked in relief, noticing that both Waitress and Melody were out of the game on the other side. "I'd be surprised if we didn't win this game."

"If _you_ didn't win this game," Goombario corrected, still distrusting the spy. Boo raised an eyebrow.

"You're shooting yourself in the foot Goombario. Once you'll realize that I've been saying the truth all this time, you-" Boo never finished his sentence because Shokora had taken advantage of the fact that he was distracted to take him out of the game.

"It's three against four, now, we can do it!" Shokora motivated her troops. Dixie gave her a thumbs-up and prepared herself to catch the ball.

"Tally-ho! Here I go!" Kolorado yelled as he ran at an incredible speed in spite of his age, and threw the ball toward Dixie. The agile monkey struggled a little against his throw but was able to recover and passed the ball to Shokora.

The cat-loving politician proceeded to throw the ball in Goombario's direction, and the Goomba simply stood still, waiting for the impact. Once the ball connected, he stood his ground, not bothering to pick it up.

"C'mon Goombario, show us what you got!" Bullet Bill encouraged. "Think about the coins!" Goombario shook his head.

"This is what I'm doing."

**Bullet Bill** : _The idea of Goombario refusing to help doesn't sit well with me, he keeps on saying that Boo's lying. Oh yeah? Show me the proof then, 'cause I'm not believing you otherwise._

"Bullet, I sincerely doubt he's gonna listen to us," Enguarde told him as he ran toward the ball. "He made his choice and decided not to help us, there's not much we can do at this point." Enguarde paused, glancing at Boo. "Even I'm skeptical about Boo's claims, and the fact that the girls aren't giving up makes me think that they possibly have proof that Waitress won the coin toss."

Bullet Bill crossed his arms. "So why aren't you giving up?" Enguarde shrugged and ignored his question.

"Wanna show us how strong you are?" asked oceanographer. Bullet Bill nodded slowly, catching the ball that was sent to him. Immediately, he saw the three remaining females breaking up their formation and standing at opposite sides of the stadium. He chuckled to himself and chucked the ball high above the females' heads. The projectile landed right into Boo's arms and the ghost was quick to fire at Dixie who fell to the ground.

"Only Shokora and Blanche remain for the girls! The males are still four strong!" announced Monty, calculating the numbers in his head.

Blanche had the ball, she ran to the middle line and started putting her arm back to gain more strength in her throw when she suddenly slipped on a banana peel and let go of the ball. Bullet Bill took it and proceeded to hit both females in one fell swoop.

"Do we even need to continue this charade?" Blanche crossed her arms in annoyance as Shokora made her way to the jail part of the field. Receiving no particular answer, the white mage simply gave the ball to Kolorado. "Whatever, get me out now. There's no chance I'm going to win alone."

"Whatever floats your boat, missy!" replied the explorer, dropping the ball on her arm.

**Dixie** : _It was a little suspicious how Blanche just gave up like that, I know I would've tried to get a few more males out. But at the same time, she was seriously outnumbered and I don't think she would have lasted much longer. But of course, in this game you're always asking yourself : 'what if?'_

"The males win game one!" announced Monty with his powerful voice.

…

After a short pause of five minutes, the two teams changed sides on the dodge ball field and looked ready to play another match, although many of them were starting to have doubts about what their course of action should be.

**Blanche** : _Since we weren't here when Boo and Waitress decided on the winners, we can't be sure that what we're doing is right. Right now, the two teams are trying to beat the other, but we all know that one of them is mistaken. I suppose that Boo must have said that he won the coins too but us girls know better than to believe him. Especially since Waitress told us how Boo practically begged for the exemption._

**Enguarde** : _Boo claims he won the coins. Waitress claims the same thing. One of them is lying, but since they decided on a coin toss, we have no way to determine who said the truth. I mean, if they had thought about it rationally, we might have been able to take a guess, but they didn't. So we're all confused._

**Melody** : _We won't be defeated by the other team. I'll try my hardest to win the upcoming round. I'm just doing what I think is in my best interest._

**Kolorado** : _I say, this game's quite tricky if you want my opinion. I still think it's a little unfair how we weren't allowed to mingle before playing this first mission, because the simple fact that we don't know each other is preventing us from coming with sound conclusions._

Once again, Kooper gave the green light to the players when he threw the ball in the air. That time, however, Boo timed his jump and was able to reach the ball that he quickly gave to Bullet Bill.

"Show us your magic," Boo demanded with a slight smirk.

"Okay!" Bullet Bill yelled. "I think we should target the weaker players first, 'cause if we manage to take out a threat, they can still pass them the ball and hit us from behind. What do you think?"

"This sounds dandy!" Kolorado acquiesced with a nod of the head. "But who's the weakest in their team?"

"It's obviously Waitress," Enguarde chuckled. "I mean, it's a wonder Boo got hit by her first throw, there's no way she's going to be of any use in this mission. It's way too physically demanding for her," pointed out the blue oceanographer.

"Not like mental challenges will be any different," added the Boo, snickering a little. "But you're right. To me the weakest link is Waitress, then I would say Blanche, she's wearing high-heels after all."

"They're not really high, though," Bullet Bill was quick to notice.

"True, but they must hinder her movement," replied the spy. "Shokora doesn't seem athletic at all, so we should try to get her out next. Then Melody, and finally Dixie."

"Sounds like a good plan," nodded Kolorado. "Shall we get to work, then?"

The famous archaeologist did not need to say it twice. The black missile floated as fast as he could toward the line separating the two camps and fired away at Waitress. Waitress was not even paying attention to her surroundings and tumbled down to the floor.

"That hurt!" she sniffled a little. Melody smacked her forehead in frustration.

"Waitress! You should just tell us if you're not going to help!" shouted the blue ectoplasm.

**Shokora** : _Waitress didn't help at all during the challenge. Most of the time, she was targeted first by the males, and for a good reason. Not only is she the weakest player physically speaking, but she's also the most absentminded person I have ever come across. I like her, but honestly, she was not as useful as I would have wanted her to be._

"Well, it doesn't matter," sighed Blanche. "What's done is done." The pink-haired woman picked up the ball from the floor and gave it to Dixie. "Dixie, your throws are remarkable. They are also very unpredictable, so use this at your advantage and get Bullet out as soon as possible."

**Dixie** : _It was awesome to know that my team depended on me! I mean, everyone wants to look like a hero once in a while, and I'm also part of everyone._

"You got it!" Dixie flashed her a grin. She dashed straight for the other camp and began to twist her body to throw another curved ball, so the males braced themselves and all looked to their right, thinking that the monkey was going to repeat her previous action.

However, that was not the case, for Dixie feigned throwing the ball. She only flung it when the others had turned their attention away from her, and it pushed Bullet to the floor. The demolition specialist was quick to retaliate with another quick throw which was enough to take Waitress out of the game. Begrudgingly, the purple-haired Toadette made her way to her team's jail.

"Dang, we're already one down!" said Melody in exasperation. "Let's just focus on Bullet and win this match," she stated, more to herself than anyone else. She gave the ball to Dixie and the monkey cast it with all her might toward Bullet Bill.

"Psh, you call that a throw? Weak!" taunted the black missile. He caught it with his bare hands and was going to fling it back to the other side when Boo stopped him.

"Look, Dixie managed to get the ball last time we sent it toward her, so give it to me, I have a plan."

"What kind of plan are we talking about here?" questioned Kolorado, interested. Enguarde decided it would be smart to pay attention to Boo.

"Well, I've noticed that the girls ignore the items," whispered the ghost so that Waitress would not be able to overhear his stratagem. "While you guys were busy throwing the ball back and forth, I thought it would be smart to gather items. Just leave it to me, you'll love it."

**Bullet Bill** : _Boo's smart, I'll give him that. He definitely knows what he's doing so I think he's __gonna be a tough opponent to beat in this game in general. But at the same time, he seems a little too intelligent if you wanna know what I think. Yeah, he's a potential Mole candidate to me._

Boo floated toward the girls, ball in hand. Behind his back was the bob-omb he was going to use in his master plan. Much like Dixie had done previously, Boo drew his arm back, pretending to throw the ball. The girls all looked ready to catch his throw but none of them realized their were being tricked. Boo simply sent them the bob-omb and the girls all flew several feet back, only to land on their behind. Right after that, Kolorado sent Boo a red shell, Boo tucked the ball inside the item and threw it with all his might. The effects were better than he had anticipated for all the females save Melody were hit by his throw.

"Dude, that was wicked!" Bullet Bill clapped Boo on his back.

"I smell a victory for us!" Enguarde joked.

"Oh yeah? Well, not if I have something to say about it!" shouted Melody from the other side of the field. Enguarde did not react in time and the ball touched him before slamming to the ground. The blue swordfish narrowed his eyes and picked up the ball without a word.

"We still hold the advantage here," teased the oceanographer. "And we intend to keep it!" Enguarde flung the ball toward one of the girl. Everyone thought it would be Melody, but Dixie was actually his intended target. The blonde monkey almost caught it, however it dropped to the floor and she had to join Waitress in jail.

Before going, she still muttered a word of advice to her peers. "Use the items!"

**Melody** : _It seriously sucked. Once again, we were outnumbered and our best player had been eliminated from the match. We didn't really expect anything from the first challenge anymore._

**Shokora** : _All my hopes faded away once Dixie was sent to jail. Yes, she could still help us from there, but technically she was not a player anymore, as Monty Mole had stated in the rules._

"Well, let's respect Dixie's wish, shall we?" White Mage suggested, picking up a turtle shell. "Such a shame, it would make a nice shield." She winked at Bullet Bill and threw the ball inside the item. Bullet Bill thought he could easily stop it, but the shell made him fall down and he was out of the game.

**Blanche** : _I was glad to take out Bullet because he was a huge threat to our victory. I knew it was the smartest choice, because with him out of the way, it made me think that the others would try to pass him the ball. And if we could intercept the ball before it reached him, we would be golden._

"Good work, Blanche!" Shokora congratulated, clapping her hands together. Focusing her attention back to the game, she narrowly evaded a projectile. She turned in fear, hoping that it had not reached Bullet Bill and let out a sigh of relief once the image of Melody holding the projectile caught her eyes.

"Focus, will you?" groaned the blonde. Melody floated toward the other camp and hurled the ball with all her might, targeting Enguarde yet another time.

Enguarde smirked, ready to block. "Tough luck!" he taunted her.

**Enguarde** : _Melody has a temper, and it's extremely easy to set it off. I knew I would take __advantage of it whenever I could. _

"Say, old bean, would you mind if I took a shot at this game?" Kolorado winked, extending his arms toward the blue swordfish.

"Sure!" exclaimed Enguarde happily.

A banana peel in hand and a ball in the other, Kolorado ran forward and chucked the item on Shokora's face. Her vision obstructed, the politician stopped dead in her tracks and struggled to remove the filthy thing from her hair. Once she did, she could only gasp as the ball hit her leg. "Oh well, I guess I'm down..."

**Kolorado** : _I still have fire inside of me! Those youngsters better watch out for the explorer extraordinaire! Also, I must admit that there's a good synergy between the players of our group, I hope to go far in the competition! _

"The girls are down to Melody and Blanche, whereas the boys still have Goombario, Boo, Enguarde and Kolorado! Remember that if the males win this round, it's game over!" Monty called out to the players.

"C'mon girls! We can't lose!" Waitress yelled from the jail. "This doesn't bode well..."

"Easy for you to say!" shouted Melody, rolling her eyes in the process. Floating over an item panel, she was surprised to see a blue mushroom appearing next to her. She picked it up and threw it on Boo who shrunk in size.

"Hey! What's happening to me?" an extremely high-pitched voice came out of Boo's throat. "What the heck?"

"Oooh! It's so cute!" Waitress giggled from behind him. Boo frowned as he turned to face her.

"Now!" growled Melody, flinging the ball forward. Boo was so small he could not catch the ball and so he lost one life. Upon regaining his normal appearance, Boo smirked and took Melody out with a powerful throw, leaving White Mage against four opponents. "Yes! I can taste the money!" Boo chuckled with glee.

"Splendid," White Mage uttered with disdain. "One poor girl against four testosterone-filled males, I wonder how it'll turn out?" she asked sarcastically. She walked over a yellow panel and took the star that appeared from it. A sudden surge of energy rejuvenated the pink-haired woman as she glowed a myriad of colors. "What is this...?" Taking a few seconds to get over the flashy effects, White Mage threw the ball toward Enguarde, unconvinced.

Everyone was surprised when they saw it connect with his face, taking him out of the game.

But they were even more surprised when the ball suddenly changed direction and hit Boo and Kolorado as well. Goombario had jumped over it in time and avoided the hit altogether. The effects of the star wore off and the ball touched the ground.

"Amazing..."

**Waitress** : _That was so awesome and pretty! I'd love to be so colorful! Plus it was great because Boo and Enguarde were taken out of the game, so it evened the odds. Mmmh... Well, not really since __it was still two against one, I guess. But who cares?_

"Hey Goombario!" White Mage spoke up. "Mind giving me the ball, sweetheart?"

**Goombario** : _I was pretty passive during the match, I didn't want to get hit, but I didn't want to hit anybody on the opposite side. My main goal was to ensure that Boo did not win the exemption, but at the same time I couldn't help thinking that maybe it would be for the best... Boo struck me as Mole-ish, though, which is why I was doubtful._

"Hey there, good old chap, you wouldn't do that to your pal, now, would you?" Kolorado smiled uneasily. "Be reasonable and hand the ball over, will you?"

"Don't you dare betray us, Goombario!" Boo yelled. "I was fine with you not doing anything but don't go helping the other team!"

"Sorry Boo!" Goombario ignored him and shot the ball toward White Mage who nodded in appreciation.

"What a gentleman!" she smiled. She ran to the other camp and jumped into the air, surprisingly high for someone who was wearing high-heels, and as she began her descend she hit Kolorado above the head with the ball. Afterward, she quickly hightailed out of his camp and stood back, prepared in case Goombario would suddenly play the hero.

But that did not occur as Goombario ended the match abruptly.

"I give up!" Goombario shouted.

"The females win game two!" Monty announced, blowing in a whistle.

…

**Boo** : _What. An. Idiot! I could understand why he wouldn't trust me. I could understand his refusal to help me. But _this_? We were seconds away from winning the challenge and he threw it, giving victory to the girls. Now we have to play yet another game and there's still the chance that they _might_ win it. Truthfully, I'd be devastated if that were the case. _

**Goombario** : _So what if Boo's angry at me? I know in my heart that I made the correct choice. Boo's mad because I prevented him from earning an exemption, that's all. The way I see it, Waitress won the coin toss. Why? Let's just say that Boo really didn't try to convince me that he told the truth._

**Dixie** : _To know that we have a chance to win this challenge is pretty good if you want my opinion. I thought we would lose when it was four against two, but Blanche managed to survive and give us the win! I was just happy to know that we had a second chance._

**Bullet Bill** : _I think that Goombario could be the Mole. It looks like he's putting on a show and acting dramatic just 'cause he suspects that Boo's lying, but he has not proof. Nobody would ever act like him in this situation, unless they knew for sure that Boo lost the coins to Waitress. And just how would he know that, unless he was the Mole?_

Kooper had the ball under his arm as he made his way toward the players. "Well guys, this is your last match. Whichever team wins it wins the whole game! So do your best, players!" Kooper smiled warmly as the others nodded. The blue-shelled Koopa threw the ball into the air, starting the last match of the small competition. Immediately, Waitress and Boo jumped after it, attempting to get the edge for their team. Waitress was quicker and threw the ball to her teammates who caught it.

"Okay, time!" Shokora stopped Dixie from doing anything with her powerful voice. The graceful former ruler motioned for them to join her and they huddled around her. "Girls, we need to strategize. This is the last match, we cannot afford to lose it."

"But this is sooooo boring!" Waitress said in a huff. "Can't we just, like, go and try to win this thing already?"

"Need I remind you that we are playing so that you will obtain an exemption?" the purple-clad politician raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Waitress crossed her arms and pouted immaturely. "Anyway, would anyone care for my proposal and suggest an adequate strategy?"

"Oh, me, me!" Dixie raised her hand excitedly. "We'll take out Bullet and Enguarde first. They are the strongest in their team, so not only does it make sense to want them out, but you also have to realize that if we go for Kolorado, Boo and Goombario first, it'll give them much more room to evade our throws." Blanche's eyes widened while Melody and Shokora nodded, interested.

**Blanche** : _Who would have known that under her happy-go-lucky behavior hid a really smart girl? She actually surprised me. No, I didn't think she was dumb, but I never knew she was level-headed enough to think ahead like that. _

"Yeah, it could work," Melody cocked her head pensively. "Mmmh, I never realized it became harder to eliminate the players as their numbers dwindled."

"Well, when you think about it, it's a little like our game," Shokora pointed out smartly. "At first, the Mole can hide behind our mistakes, but as the game progresses their scapegoats also depart and the Mole is easier to identify."

"So, can we just go back to the game? Like, now?" Waitress asked, putting her hands on her hips.

What the females did not know was that the males also took this as an opportunity to hatch a plan.

"So what's your idea, Boo?" Enguarde questioned, his face unreadable.

"Why me?" Boo inquired, surprised.

"Well, I don't know. Because you're the smartest here, I suppose?" Enguarde answered, rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed. "Besides, you had pretty good ideas during our previous match, so I thought I'd ask you."

"Thank you," Boo blushed, his shy nature resurfacing. "But... I'm sorry I don't have any idea right now."

"I wanna contribute to the team's victory!" Bullet Bill grinned as he floated toward the others. "Let's take the weakest out first. If we eliminate the strongest, they might get smart and pass the ball to them and we'll be sitting ducks," suggested the black missile. "What do ya say?"

"I think it's a pretty interesting strategy, my friend!" Kolorado piped up, smiling from ear to ear. "Oh and sorry I wasn't able to win last round by the way."

"Wasn't your fault," Enguarde smiled to him. "It was Goombario's."

"Oh shut up, I can do whatever I want!" groaned the Goomba, glaring at him from a distance. "Plus, what did I do? I just threw a game, big deal! You're not going to be reminding me of that for the next few weeks we'll be playing the game, are you?"

**Goombario** : _Enguarde can be pretty annoying when he wants to, I don't even know what he hopes to accomplish with the way he's acting. I've heard from a friend that a player from last season had been acting as a drama queen to get further into the game, is he seriously trying to pull the same stunt?_

"Come on!" moaned Boo. "Guys, this is immature, can we just stop it at once?"

"Let's put our differences aside, boys, and work together! Like a team!" cheered the explorer, as always full of life but totally oblivious to the situation.

"I don't think you-" Bullet Bill was cut when the ball slammed into his temple.

"You're such girls," Melody taunted, waving from the other side. "Always talking."

**Boo** : _Considering that I knew my team was playing for the money, I definitely found it odd how Goombario kept on distracting us. He single-handedly threw one match, did nothing in another and did his best to make us lose the last one. If someone confronts him at the end of the mission, I'm pretty sure he's going to claim that he had no way to know I was telling the truth. As if that were true._

"Go get them, Bullet!" Kolorado gave him a thumbs-up as he stepped back. The black missile replied with a wink and flung the projectile he was holding toward Waitress with all his might. Gasping in fright, the Toadette ran in the opposite direction but was still hit as the projectile was going in a straight line. Shokora dove and tried to save the ball but it bounced back on her arm and fell onto the floor, meaning that she was also down to one life.

Melody walked over a yellow panel which had a white interrogation mark on it and received a banana peel. She narrowed her eyes at the item. "Why do we get crappy items like this?"

Shokora sighed. "Melody... Except for the star, all of these items are simple. They only reveal their true potential when you use your head and devise a plan."

**Melody** : _If I didn't know any better I'd think she was a thief and not a politician. Are politicians all scheming people like her?_

The ghostly woman gave her item to Shokora. "Then I assume you'll make good use of this?"

Shokora took the banana peel delicately and put it on the middle of the boys' side. After that, she gave the ball to Dixie.

Dixie nodded, understanding what Shokora expected her to do. She threw another curved ball in Bullet's direction and the poor Bullet Bill tried to evade it by rushing to his right, only to plummet to the ground because of a banana peel, leaving him vulnerable to Dixie's throw.

**Goombario** : _You know, for one strong player, Bullet was often one of the first ones out... It left me __thinking... Had he truly tried his best?_

Bullet Bill gritted his teeth as he went to the jail. "This sucks."

"I guess I'm next then," Enguarde muttered, closing his eyes in frustration. "Well whatever, I'm pretty sure I can last longer than them." Enguarde picked up the ball and hurled it toward the women's camp. Except that he did not intend on shooting one of them down, he left the task to Bullet Bill. "Blast them, Bullet!"

"Err... We're not at war, Enguarde," replied Bullet as he targeted the women's weakest link.

Waitress hit the ground with a loud thud after the ball touched her. "Ooooh... Why did I sign up for this?" whispered the waitress of the Excess Express to herself. She quickly went to the jail to avoid getting hit again.

"Crap!" cursed Melody, pointing to Enguarde. "The ball still reached their side! Careful everyone!"

The oceanographer hurled the ball toward Shokora who had no time to prepare herself. However, just as the projectile was going to touch the floor, White Mage dove and saved it.

"Nice save!" Dixie cheered with mirth, clapping. White Mage acknowledged her cheers with a smile and proceeded to fling the ball in Enguarde's direction. The swordfish growled as it connected with his nose and immediately retaliated by taking out Shokora.

"Oh well, win this for me," Shokora sighed, joining Waitress in jail.

"They always have an edge over us!" Melody realized, watching Shokora leave the field.

"Perhaps, but we still have our strongest players," noted White Mage. Melody stared at her flatly.

"Your point is? Bullet can easily help them while Waitress and Shokora are kinda useless in this situation." White Mage shook her head and responded nothing, as she knew she was fighting a losing battle.

Meanwhile, Dixie had used a red shell to knock Enguarde to the floor and had just thrown her ball toward him when Boo appeared from nowhere and caught the ball... Except it actually slipped from his fingers.

"Come on!" Boo complained in indignation. "Now I just lost one life!" Kolorado picked up the ball and put it in a green shell that he hurled toward Melody. She was ready to catch it but Blanche made her lose her focus.

"You can't catch the ball when it's inside an item!" Blanche called as she stepped aside.

Melody looked at her in shock and forgot to avoid the ball. She grabbed it once she regained her composure and floated at a fast pace toward the line which separated the two sides, looking at Enguarde. At the last moment, the pale blue ghost aimed at Boo and took him out of the game. She started celebrating but Kolorado reacted quickly and hit her another time.

"Boo and Melody are both out of the game! It's two against three, advantage for the males!" Monty Mole told the players from the bleachers.

Dixie took the ball in her hands and ran to where Blanche was located. "So who do we target?"

"I'd say Enguarde. He's definitely the strongest player... What's more, Goombario seems like he _wants_ to help us, so I don't think it would be cool to decline his help."

The blonde monkey did a flip and hurled the ball toward Enguarde, but the swordfish was prepared and caught it with ease. Dixie was taken aback and could not dodge Enguarde's throw.

"Well, you're not the only one who can take people by surprise!" Dixie yelled, taking Enguarde out of the game.

"Good luck Kolorado!" Enguarde spoke up to him.

"Don't worry, old bean! I'll make sure to win this for our team!" Kolorado replied, showing pride. The middle-aged man withdrew in his shell and whirled on himself, accumulating strength. When he was done, he flung the ball at tremendous speeds toward White Mage who had no time to brace herself. "Tally-ho, here I go!" Kolorado smiled to himself, stroking his mustache.

**Kolorado** : _I thought the teams were quite even and the match was very intense, but the further we were advancing in the matches, the more I wanted to know who had won what. Because in this case, winning wasn't everything._

"I really didn't expect this!" White Mage admitted, dusting her dress. "Well, one more time and I'm out... Dixie, could you please throw it? I don't want to disappoint the team."

"As you wish!" shrugged the enthusiastic circus performer. Dixie aimed at Kolorado and fired, efficiently hitting him. "Yes!"

But the rejoicing was short-lived for Kolorado took advantage of her distraction to throw a ball inside a red shell at her.

"Hoho!" laughed the explorer. "I smell a victory for us!" Dixie dropped her head and walked toward the other three females.

"Not if I do _this_!"

White Mage had finally found what she was looking for : a bob-omb. She put the ball inside and flung it toward the other camp, taking Kolorado out of the match and hitting Goombario as well. The teams were now even and the next throw would be decisive.

"Noooo!" screamed Boo once he realized Kolorado had to leave the game. "Goombario, do something! We're gonna lose the coins!" Boo realized, a look of horror on his face. Goombario glanced at him, bewildered.

**Goombario** : _All of a sudden, it dawned on me, my decision would affect the first game. It was definitely a question of trust, Boo appeared sincere for the first time today and I was tempted to win the game, but I wasn't sure..._

Quickly, Goombario sprang on his foot and ran toward the ball. Though White Mage was taken aback by his sudden interest for the game, she also rushed to get the projectile before Goombario. One of them touched the ball first and had little trouble getting the other out of the game, but the smoke left by the use of the last bob-omb was preventing anyone from discerning anything.

Who had won the dodge ball match?

* * *

_Hey everyone ! First things first, I wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year and I hope you all had a Merry Christmas as well !_

_Sorry to leave you on another cliffhanger, you only see this kind of things in a Mole game, lol._

_I changed the recap's format, do you like it better this way or do you want me to go back to my old ways ? I'm open to any suggestion. ^^_

_Well, I hope you will enjoy this chapter ! Your support is always appreciated !_

_Until next time._


	3. Prized Possessions

**Champ** : Next chapter's finally here, so I hope you're happy. :p Oh yeah, I understand what you mean, Kolorado isn't a very important Koopa but I thought he had a lot of personality and I kind of like his character. XD We'll see about your predictions, since first challenge officially ended this chapter. :p Thank you for your comment.

**Spike Brigadier** : Both players could be lying, but only one of them is. We'll see if you're correct with your choice ! Thanks for your review. I'll keep the recap this way if you like it better, then. Not a big fan of Goombario, I see... XD

**Moley** : Why do you feel I would execute Bullet Bill first ? :p And thanks for the compliment, but I honestly don't think writing stories about sports is my thing... It would be too technical and a little dull because well...sports are kinda repetitive to describe. Thank you for your support !

**Kaiimi** : Thank you for your review ! I'm glad you have different suspects and that everyone's suspect in their own way ! Hopefully, this chapter will help you with your choices. Or maybe it'll confuse you even harder. XD

**Marioman01** : Thank you for the kind review, I'm trying as hard as I can to vary everything and use different descriptions in order not to bore you to death. XD And I think your story is very detailed as well... Yeah, Kolorado is pretty funny in the game, when he charges the boss of Lava Lava Island... Epic dumb moment. XD

**Light Speed508** : You've already picked favorites ? :p That's great ! I've been trying to aim for a diverse cast so it would appeal to more people, glad to know you like some people already ! And thank you for your review.

**BoomShroom** : I think I should have said where they came from, it was the least I could do...and I didn't do it. *shot* I'm glad to see that you already like some characters. :p I've already an idea as to who will leave first, but it's probably going to change. Actually, it has already changed. :p Thanks for your opinion on the recap, since several persons prefer this style I'll keep it that way. Thanks again !

**PSULucky** : It must be great to know that one of your favorites is already going to make it to Episode 2. :p I'll leave you read to know who got it, though. ^^ I like reading your suspicions, they're very sound and since I've considered many players as the Mole, I can see what you mean when you talk of 'profiles' for the Mole. Your support is very appreciated.

**Fredthemontymole** : I'm a bit of a sadist, but not to my readers. *shot* You can blame this Cliffhanger problem on Krisetchers and his stories, now I feel like I'm forced to end each chapter with something suspenseful. XD And don't worry, there's no theme yet, but I guess this chapter will probably answer why. Thank you for your review !

* * *

Previously on The Mole, our ten candidates began their first mission of this fourth season!

_"Go!" Kooper shouted as he threw the ball in the air. Both leaders soon followed suit and leaped as high as they could to catch it._

_"Yay, I've got it!" Waitress cheered._

This mission was a game of dodge ball opposing the men to the women, and although nobody acted like Jojora in the first season, tensions immediately arose in both camps!

_Melody was shaking her head in aggravation. "Do you think you could, perhaps, I don't know, FOCUS on the game?" yelled the blonde competitive woman. "And give me that ball, you don't even know how to play this game correctly!" continued the piano virtuoso. _

_"Don't you dare betray us, Goombario!" Boo yelled. "I was fine with you not doing anything but don't go helping the other team!" _

_"Oh shut up, I can do whatever I want!" groaned the Goomba._

Some players showed athletic prowesses...

_"Give it to me!" grinned the blonde monkey. "I'll show you how it's done!" Waitress gave her the ball and Dixie ran toward the line separating the two sides. Once she was a few feet away from the other camp, she twirled her body and threw the ball toward one of the male. It was hard for them to determine who she was gunning for because the ball's trajectory was curved. _

_Bullet Bill grinned and walked up to him. "Leave it to me!" The black missile floated at a fast speed toward the girl and threw the ball with great strength in a straight line. Melody, Dixie, Waitress and Shokora were all hit and fell to the floor as Bullet Bill high-fived Enguarde. _

...while others fell flat on their faces.

_The black missile floated as fast as he could toward the line separating the two camps and fired away at Waitress. Waitress was not even paying attention to her surroundings and tumbled down to the floor. _

_A banana peel in hand and a ball in the other, Kolorado ran forward and chucked the item on Shokora's face. Her vision obstructed, the politician stopped dead in her tracks and struggled to remove the filthy thing from her hair. Once she did, she could only gasp as the ball hit her leg. "Oh well, I guess I'm down..." _

The males won the first game...

_"The males win game one!" announced Monty with his powerful voice. _

...but Goombario distrusted Boo and gave the females one more chance to win the game...

_"I give up!" Goombario shouted._

_"The females win game two!" Monty announced, blowing in a whistle._

...and it came down to the final showdown, Goombario versus White Mage.

_Quickly, Goombario sprang on his foot and ran toward the ball. Though White Mage was taken aback by his sudden interest for the game, she also rushed to get the projectile before Goombario. One of them touched the ball first and had little trouble getting the other out of the game, but the smoke left by the use of the last bob-omb was preventing anyone from discerning anything. _

Who won the dodge ball game?

**First name : Goombario**

Surname : Goomarroon

Birthday : September 16

Job : Dojo Owner/Master

**First name : Melody**

Surname : Pianissimo

Birthday : March 13

Job : Musician

**First name : Waitress**

Surname : Serva

Birthday : July 4

Job : Waitress

**First name : Kolorado**

Surname : Raiver

Birthday : January 19

Job : Archaeologist/Explorer

**First name : Blanche**

Surname : Magus

Birthday : April 22

Job : White Mage

**First name : Enguarde**

Surname : Espadon

Birthday : December 8

Job : Oceanographer

**First name : Shokora**

Surname : Enekora

Birthday : May 19

Job : Politician

**First name : Bullet**

Surname : Bill

Birthday : February 25

Job : Demolition Specialist

**First name : Dixie**

Surname : Kong

Birthday : June 7

Job : Circus Performer

**First name : Boo**

Surname : Fanto

Birthday : October 31

Job : Spy

3 : Prized Possessions

The players had no idea as to the identity of the person who had won the game and neither had Monty or Kooper who were watching from afar. However, they did not need to look up the recordings of the match to know who had won, for the smoke dissipated itself after a while. Both Boo and Waitress were dead silent, but hopeful as they watched intently the scene. Soon, one player could be seen holding the ball, smiling victoriously while the other had their head dropped in defeat.

Immediately, a team began to cheer and embraced their winning player.

"Who would have thought?" asked a pink-haired woman, as the other girls clapped for her victory. "It was really close, but good game, Goombario," White Mage extended her arm.

Goombario smiled to her as he shook her hand. "Well, you were clearly better since you beat me to the ball!"

**Melody** : _Ha! We won! I knew we could pull it off! I couldn't have been happier at that moment! It was very satisfactory to wipe Enguarde's smug grin off his face. Not so proud now, are we, mister We-had-it-in-the-bag?_

**Goombario** : _I didn't really mind losing, because I was still suspecting that the girls had earned us money anyway, and that was more important than victory in itself, if you want my opinion. Clearly, my point of view wasn't shared by all my teammates, but what can you do?_

**Blanche** : _While it was great to win the game for my team, my mind was still set on the money. I wouldn't celebrate until I knew who had won what._

"Oh well, it was a great game," Enguarde tried to be positive. "And you deserved the win," he added in a sigh. Kolorado was much more radiant.

"Brighten up, old bean! There're still many challenges that we can win ahead of us!" Kolorado exclaimed jovially. "Besides, we haven't lost this one yet, Monty needs to tell us if we won the coins or not." Boo crossed his arms, a scowl on his pale face.

Shokora raised a hand so that everybody would see her. Once they turned in her direction, she began to speak. "I believe now would be a good time to hear about the results of our challenge."

Monty Mole nodded in appreciation to the politician who smiled back at him. "Thank you very much, Shokora. Now, I would like to give this little jewel," the host held up the exemption card for them to see, "to the leader of the winning team. Waitress, come get your reward!"

"Yay, I'm so glad!" Waitress laughed enthusiastically as she ran to claim her due. Her eyes sparkled with glee once she obtained the exemption card.

**Waitress** : _It's awesome! I so need to thank Blanche for this! She basically ensured that I would stay one more episode, isn't it great?_

"You're gonna tell us about the coins or what?" Bullet Bill questioned, somewhat impatiently and more rudely than he intended. "Sorry, it's just that I really wanna start on a positive note."

"Who doesn't?" Melody rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Monty Mole nodded slowly. "Well, why wouldn't our leaders tell us what their choice was?" he smirked a little. Waitress and Boo glanced at each other, uneasy. Finally, Boo spoke up.

"Well, as you all know by now, Waitress and I played the money on a coin toss, and Waitress-"

"Ha! I knew Waitress had won!" Goombario shook his head, grinning.

The white ghost glared at Goombario. "And Waitress _lied_ to you because she actually _lost_ the coin toss," Boo declared matter-of-factly, his eyes closed. "So, as I've been saying all this time, if our team had won two matches out of three, the twenty thousand coins would have been ours. But that didn't happen because of an _unfortunate_ series of events..."

Bullet Bill nodded to himself. "Just as I thought."

"Yeah, I feel bad for distrusting you a little, now," Enguarde apologized sheepishly.

"Sorry guys!" Waitress giggled merrily, her behavior betraying her true emotions. "No one wants to be the first one to lose."

"Well, at least we still won," the blonde ectoplasm muttered to herself.

Kolorado managed to hear her. "But was it worth it? Winning isn't always everything, you know?" As everyone began to ponder on his statement, Monty Mole opened his mouth to make things official.

"In any case, I am very sorry to tell you that your first challenge ended up as a failure, so the twenty thousand coins will not be added to your team pot. However, I suppose that someone here is quite satisfied to know that money was lost," Monty Mole voiced everyone's suspicions. "And perhaps they are not only satisfied to know this fact, they could very well be responsible for it. It is their job, isn't it?"

Challenge's Results :

_Money Won_ : 0

_Team Pot_ : 0 coin

"The Mole," Dixie trailed off. "Would they really sabotage our first mission, though?"

"I'm afraid I do not have the answer to this question," Monty responded with a polite bow. "But what I do know, however, is that an intruder is amongst you. The Mole has already started invading your own little worlds known as your thoughts, aren't I correct?" The players were silent but Monty still received some signs of approval.

"What a great start," summed up Shokora after a moment. Waitress was the only one who nodded her head, not quite perceiving the irony behind the politician's words.

Monty Mole cleared his throat. "In any case, we put at your disposal a confessional, feel free to use it anytime. We will eat in half an hour, so I would suggest staying here in the meantime. I have some things I need to check for our next challenge anyway."

"Already?" White Mage looked puzzled. "But we just had one," she protested uselessly. Monty Mole shrugged and left them alone.

**Boo** : _This challenge was a huge fiasco and a very big letdown for me. I really thought we had it in the bag, but nooo, Goombario had to act dumb and throw the challenge. He's basically responsible for our loss, if you ask me. _

**Goombario** : _Try as he might, Boo won't be able to pin the blame on me. I mean, okay, I can take partial blame, but I'm in no way responsible for the loss of our team! First of all, tons of people were suspicious during the challenge, I wouldn't be able to enumerate all the potential sabotages that took place. What I could point out, however, is that the males were dubious of Boo while the females trusted Waitress. This kind of leads me to believe that Boo didn't try to make us think his way. _

**Bullet Bill** : _I'm not gonna point fingers at anyone so soon into the game, 'cause I dunno what to think myself. Did the Mole know about the coin toss results? If they didn't, they couldn't really sabotage so yeah..._

**Melody** : _It's true, we lost the money, but at least we won the game and we showed them that they shouldn't underestimate us! And when you think about it, it's when you fail challenges that you can have a better idea of who the Mole is. Don't you think so?_

**Dixie** : _Plenty of people are responsible for the loss of our coins, but I realized that Blanche was always the last survivor of our team and it was ultimately thanks to her that we were able to win two matches. I know that she actually gave up during the first one but why didn't she do the same in the next ones? This is giving me a headache!_

**Enguarde** : _Hmm... I've been trying to recall what exactly happen during the games and I realized that we lost because of Bullet's stupid strategy. Why did we agree to go with this plan actually? It's truly baffling how easy it was for him to sabotage. 'Let's take out the weakest first, guys!' I hate myself for falling to such a trap!_

**Blanche** : _True, I won two matches, and it's because of this that we lost the coins. But first of all I would like to point out that I had no idea who to trust. Was Waitress telling the truth or was she not? I honestly did not know. However, Shokora was quick to point out that Boo had acted suspicious prior to the mission and Melody basically said that we had to win, Waitress lied to us and Dixie was playing like an expert. Everyone was suspicious on my side._

**Kolorado** : _Of course I'm disappointed, but I know we'll win much more money in the future. No need to dwell on the past, we must move on and prevent the Mole from ruining our efforts!_

**Waitress** : _I won an exemption and this is the only important thing to me! Thanks Boo, for explaining what it was! Now I won't have to worry about getting eliminated first! Teehee!_

**Shokora** : _To me, Boo is a suspect of choice. I believe it was not a coincidence he was chosen as the male Mole, prior to the challenge. To me, it appeared that he tried to make himself look suspicious in our eyes so that he would have a better chance to sabotage the first challenge. His performance was also lacking on the dodge ball field, and he apparently is the game's expert. What __a great profile for the Mole..._

…

When Monty Mole returned, he found the players with ease for they had been patiently waiting for him, just like he had suggested. For most of them, they were sprawled on the floor and reflecting on their current situation and had already forgotten everything about their first challenge.

**Dixie** : _It was great to have some bonding time together and forget all about what had just happened. We couldn't simply point fingers at each other, it wouldn't be good for us in the long run if we already distrusted each other._

**Enguarde** : _At first I thought I wouldn't make friends in this game, but what do you know, I was wrong! The people in this game are pretty cool and I already like them all! Of course, I must be wary because one of them is trying to deceive me but for now I'm gonna enjoy the fun. Oh yeah, and I even found myself a rival : Melody._

Monty Mole coughed loudly to catch the players' attention. "Everyone, please. Would you be so kind as to follow me, we have reservations at a fancy restaurant and I'm sure you're all hungry after this interesting match," told them the host, a big smile on his face.

Waitress shot up from her position and ran toward him. "Really? Awesome, I'm so gonna eat everything I can since you're paying!" she exclaimed joyfully, without thinking. Some players laughed at her excitement, but she was not the only one waiting in anticipation.

Enguarde grinned as he took a sniff at Monty Mole. "Let's see... Hmm, I smell nothing but perfume..."

"Why of course!" Monty Mole grinned mysteriously. "A host must be presentable at all time, after all..."

"I bet you thought he'd gone to the restaurant as a scout," Bullet Bill crossed his arms, smirking. Enguarde shrugged sheepishly.

"Well, let's go then, old beans!" Kolorado pumped his fist, looking as enthusiastic as ever. The mustachioed explorer preceded them out of the stadium, only for Dixie to run after him, her hands placed on her mouth to amplify the volume of her voice.

"Wait, Kolorado! You don't even know where's the restaurant!"

**Shokora** : _Kolorado seems to be a nice guy, but he can be a little overenthusiastic and absent-minded too. Obviously, it's nothing like Waitress, but I wonder how it will affect his performance in the future challenges._

Monty went out of the stadium and led the players to the restaurant where they would have lunch. It took them around five minutes to reach their destination, since it was very close and the streets were not as packed as they used to be during the week-end. Once they reached the building, some of them immediately recognized that they would eat Hawaiian food.

"_La Poi Zona_?" White Mage paused, looking at the sign of the restaurant. "Isn't 'Poi' something Hawaiian?"

"Are we going to eat disgusting food?" Boo made a face, fearing what was inside the building. "I bet it's another challenge..."

**Boo** : _I think that nothing is left to chance in this game, if Monty Mole brings you to some weird place, you can be sure that there's going to be a challenge. And that explains why I was so reluctant to get inside the building._

"Hopefully they have some burgers!" Waitress exclaimed cheerfully. Melody smacked her forehead in desperation.

"Yeah, you wish," the blue ectoplasm rolled her eyes. Looking at her reflection in the window of the restaurant, Melody straightened her dress and pushed a strand of hair aside. Satisfied, she followed Monty Mole inside.

"Let's tackle this challenge!" Bullet Bill grinned boyishly. Soon, everyone followed his example and went inside.

…

Much to the pleasure of Boo, no challenge awaited the team inside. A waiter waved to the little group and approached Monty Mole. The host whispered a few words to him, and after that the group was ushered in a secluded room, away from the noisy lounge. Monty Mole sat at the edge of the table as all of the players took a seat next to someone they liked.

"Well players, I wanted to thank all of you for being here today. The Mole is an incredible adventure, filled with mystery, deceit, drama, friendship and most of all, fun. Presently you are ten companions, all delighted to be on the show, but in soon time the players at this table will be executed, leaving only three of you : the Mole and the finalists."

The players looked at their host with apprehension, each of them measuring the truth of his words. "True," Bullet Bill nodded, his eyes closed. "There can only one winner."

"Exactly," Monty Mole confirmed. "But you will only live this experience once, you won't have a second chance, so experiment it to the fullest," he advised wisely. "The message I want to convey right now... It's actually what our previous Mole told us before returning to his daily live. 'Have fun'."

Everyone in the room clapped and cheered, they had absorbed every word Monty had uttered and they raised their glasses in the air.

"Wait, who was the Mole last season?" Goombario wondered.

"He said 'he', so at least we know that it was a male," Shokora pointed out smartly. "However I don't have a clue. I'm afraid I never found the time. Maybe Boo would care to enlighten us?" suggested the purple-clad woman.

Boo frowned slightly. "But why would I want to? What you don't know in this game advantages me, right?"

Shokora shook her head and let out a small laugh. "Do you honestly think it would hurt your game to tell us who was the previous Mole?"

Boo blushed. "Yeah, I guess you're right... Last season's Mole was Toad Phalloïde, gardener working at Princess Peach's Castle."

"Like, I totally know Toad!" Waitress smiled cutely. "He told me how fun it was to be the Mole when the game ended! Do you guys think we'll see him in the future?"

"What?! You know the Mole from last season?" Melody choked out. "Wouldn't that be cheating?"

**Kolorado** : _Admittedly, I find a tad weird the fact that Boo and Waitress both seem to hold an advantage in this game. Wouldn't it make sense to make them the Mole, so that they don't use their advantage to propel themselves further into the game?_

"I don't think so," shrugged Enguarde. "Plus Waitress could be the Mole..."

Waitress' jaw dropped. "I'm not the Mole!"

"Geez, relax! I'm only saying!" Enguarde held his fins in the air defensively. Bullet Bill gave him a wink.

"Yeah, I think the Mole's female this time, 'cause it was a male last time," explained the missile to the others. Dixie was unconvinced.

"I think it could be a male again," she muttered loud enough for the rest to hear. White Mage visibly agreed with Dixie.

"Time will tell!" Goombario concluded, digging into the food that had just been served to him. This effectively ended the discussion as the players decided to focus their thoughts on their food. The Mole, however, was lost in thought and picked at their plate of spaghetti, until a small smile crept on their face. They knew exactly how to sabotage the next challenge.

…

Shroom Airport was one of the hugest structures ever constructed in Toadtown, much more imposing than Princess Peach's Castle and perhaps only slightly smaller than Mario Stadium. The players as well as their host, Monty Mole, pressed on and walked through the revolving doors with haste. Monty Mole had been quite secretive about their next assignment, an the players felt it was closer than ever. They were correct.

"Hey guys, look at that board!" Waitress pointed out. "We're gonna fly high!"

On the board where all the hours of departures and arrivals of planes were written, the players could remark a specific line that concerned them. The flight was called 'TM135102' and its destination was unknown, which made a few of them laugh uneasily.

"I don't know if I like that," Shokora admitted with a small chuckle. They continued to walk for a few moments, until they reached a specific part of the airport.

"Whoo! I smell a challenge!" Kolorado exclaimed enthusiastically as he saw a green flag fluttering in the air. On it was a black thumbprint.

"Let's hope we'll be more successful than this morning," Melody huffed, glaring at her competition. "I want money in our pot!"

White Mage stopped in front of the flag and inspected it, trying to guess what their next challenge would be about. "Considering we're in an airport, it would make sense if we were to look for something in this huge place... Is our next challenge a scavenger hunt?"

"Well Blanche, you're more or less correct," Monty Mole nodded from behind her. The players all turned in his direction, eager to know what he meant by that. The host walked to the flag and faced the players. "You will indeed have to scavenge for items... Except these items are very familiar to you," he developed with a smirk as his hand reached for something that was hidden from sight.

Enguarde gasped, putting a fin to his mouth in surprise. "It's one of the bags we used to pack our stuff!" The others looked at Monty indignantly.

**Shokora** : _When I saw the bag, I immediately knew that it was not going to be an easy challenge. I have never watched the show before, but I know that the producers can be cunning... What if we lose our belongings? _

"Whose bag is it?" questioned Dixie, silently hoping that it was not hers.

"No one's," replied the host. "This bag's empty. Your bags, however, are disseminated in the airport. And your goal, for this challenge, is to bring back all the belongings under a time limit of approximately forty minutes."

"Why not an hour?" Boo wondered aloud, eyebrows raised. "And why approximately forty minutes?"

"Well, if you'd let me explain the rules in details... Everything will become clear," Monty Mole announced, effectively shutting the players up. "This challenge is called 'Airport Mayhem' and it's worth twenty thousand coins. The goal of the challenge is rather simple, each of you need to bring a bag that isn't your own back to this flag before three o'clock, so you only have a little more than forty minutes for this challenge."

"That's it? No twist?" Goombario asked, puzzled. "I mean, the first challenge seemed harder than this."

"Yes, there is a twist, but I'm not allowed to reveal to you what it is. Anyway, the airport is pretty huge, so if you look around blindly, you will most likely fail in your task, which is why we installed some stands throughout the airport. They're easy to locate because a flag like this one will signalize them. A mini-challenge awaits you at these stand, and should manage to win it, a clue will be given to you, indicating the emplacement of a bag..."

"We're gonna win this one, guys!" Bullet Bill pumped his fist. "Let's go!"

"Wait a second! I'm not finished yet," Monty Mole stopped them. "The reason you only have forty minutes is because our plane is scheduled to take off soon so it is imperative that you get back here before our time is over, otherwise consequences shall be dramatic. Now, you can go," the host blew a whistle, indicating the beginning of the challenge.

At the sound, all the players immediately took off running in various directions, hoping to find a bag as soon as possible.

…

Time Remaining : 38 minutes.

Monty Mole had not lied, the airport was definitely huge and the players felt lost. One of them, however, was very lucky and found what they were looking for almost as soon as the challenge had begun.

**Waitress** : _I was gonna follow the others because I didn't know where to go when I realized they had all run past this stand, so I thought I might as well give it a shot. And if I managed to grab a bag, maybe I'd redeem myself!_

The waitress of the Excess Express made her way to one of the stand marked by The Mole flag. "Hmm, hello? Someone's here?" Waitress smiled sweetly, waiting for her interlocutor to show up.

"Yes, someone's here," chuckled a Koopa with messy hair wearing a white hoody. "I guess you're a player for the Mole, aren't you?"

"I sure am," Waitress chirruped happily.

"Okay then, here's an enigma that you have to solve," the Koopa motioned for her to answer the stand and showed her three baskets, a small one, a medium-sized one and a big one. Next to the three baskets were an apple, a grape, an orange, a banana and a cherry. "Let me tell you your instructions : using the fruits that are here and placing at least one of them in each basket, you must put one more fruit in the medium-sized basket than in the little one and you must put one more fruit in the big basket than in the medium-sized one. Once you believe you're done, call me and I'll check your work."

"Yes... Okay, I guess?" Waitress looked confused once he left, but she immediately began to work on her task. "So let's see... I should put one in the little basket, two in the normal one and three in the last one if my calculations are correct!"

Waitress soon realized that she was one fruit short and decided to look everywhere for something else to put in her last basket. Her eyes rested on a small coconut that was hanging from the ceiling of the stand. She snatched it and put it with the rest of the fruits. "I'm doooooone~!" she called out to the Koopa.

The turtle made his way back to Waitress and looked puzzled at Waitress' work. "Excuse me miss, but you weren't supposed to pick another item from the shelves. The coconut isn't part of my enigma, so I can't tell you you're done..." With that, he returned to his work and left Waitress puzzled.

…

Time Remaining : 34 minutes.

Several players had decided to look around for bags, hoping for the best. This was the case of White Mage, Melody, Bullet Bill and Enguarde.

**White Mage** : _I thought there were several distinctive places in an airport where the producers might have hidden our belongings. When playing this game, you have to keep in mind that it's just one big puzzle. There might be distractions trying to hinder you, but in the end, you just need to think ahead to succeed._

**Melody** : _Come on, how hard could it be to find a bag in an airport? It can't be that hard, especially when we only have forty minutes at our disposal._

"I'll go take a look at the conveyor belts!" Enguarde called out to the other players. "Obviously, it's a good place to hide some luggage," the blue swordfish chuckled to himself, floating rapidly toward the lower levels of the airport.

**Enguarde** : _This challenge was so easy I could have done it with my fins tied to my back! I'll be surprised if we don't manage to score at least eighteen thousand coins... There's always the possibility the Mole'll sabotage, but as far as I'm concerned, it's free money!_

"I'm gonna follow him, maybe there's more than one bag down there," Bullet Bill shrugged as he changed his general direction. He had only taken a few steps when White Mage stopped him.

"No, don't. I highly doubt the producers have hidden our belongings at the same place, it wouldn't be much exciting, otherwise."

Bullet Bill cocked an eyebrow. "What do you know, though? It's still a possibility, aren't I right?"

**Bullet Bill** : _Blanche's kinda weird... Not weird-looking or in her behavior, but she's fishy. She seems to know a lot more than what she should. Then again, Boo's giving off a strange vibe too. And there's only one Mole as far as I know._

"Well, I don't know for sure," White Mage paused for a second, tilting her head to the side. "How should I put it? Since we only have a short amount of time to look for our bags, and tasks to solve along the way, it would make sense for our bags to be hidden somewhere recognizable."

Melody nodded her head. "Yeah, imagine one second that you take ten minutes to find a stand, another ten minutes to clear your challenge... You only have twenty minutes to look for your bag and bring it back to the place Monty's waiting at. So our bags can't be hidden in a specific corner of the airport, unless it's a common place to look for." Melody and White Mage high-fived after their explanation.

"So where do you think we should look for our stuff?" Bullet Bill wondered impatiently.

"Probably a cybercafe, for example, or the information desk... The bathroom is another possibility," White Mage enumerated, counting on her fingers. "And since there's three of us, why wouldn't we split the work?"

"I'll check the cybercafe," Bullet Bill volunteered, speeding away.

"Information desk's for me!" Melody claimed happily. She also took off at a fast pace.

"And that leaves me with the bathroom... I should have known," White Mage pinched the bridge of her nose in disgust. Nevertheless, she headed toward her destination.

…

Time Remaining : 31 minutes.

The nimble Dixie used her talents to climb a pole that dominated over the main area of the airport. Thanks to her feat, she was able to observe where the other players were situated as well as what they were doing, although it was not her main concerned. Way below her, Goombario was waiting for information.

**Goombario** : _I had a good idea : since Dixie's basically an acrobat, I asked her to climb a pole and find us some stands that were unoccupied. I may be the master of the Goomnut technique, but there are some things that I wouldn't risk doing. _

"Have you found something yet?" Goombario inquired. "I don't mean to bother you, but we're time and by my calculation, we've already wasted one fourth of our allotted time."

"Yup! Currently, Waitress and Shokora are already working at some stands, and I think I saw Boo moving toward another one. Anyway, follow my lead, our two stands are located next to each other. Or at least that's what it looked like," Dixie explained, swirling her ponytail. The two players departed immediately toward what they thought were stands.

**Dixie** : _I also saw Kolorado talking to someone that wasn't part of the game, but I didn't want to reveal this kind of information to Goombario. What if Kolorado's the Mole and I gave Goombario a ticket to the finale?_

…

Time Remaining : 28 minutes.

The famous politician, Shokora, had been working on her task for several minutes already, but she was confidant.

**Shokora** : _My puzzle was not especially hard, but it was certainly time-consuming. I believe I wasted at least one minute per part. The goal of my challenge was very simple. I had an image with different things on it, and the things, linked together, gave me the name of the next image. _

Before Shokora was a poorly drawn picture of a tree, an apple and the sun in the air, all apparently laughing. The picture was partially obscured though, for several thick black lines were covering the scenery. The scholar put her hand to her chin in thought, before clapping her hands together.

"These lines resemble stripes...so my guess is that it's a 'Comic Strip'? Am I right?"

"Indeed it is," a pink Boo smiled politely. "Here is your next picture."

The Boo handed Shokora a picture of a Cheep Cheep that was sitting on a sushi plank. There was nothing else on the picture, but Shokora had already an idea as to what the answer was.

"Would the answer be 'Sushie'? Sushie is a well-known minder that starred in one of the biggest musical I have ever seen. If I remember correctly, its name was 'LavaLava Survivor'," Shokora added in an afterthought.

"You know a lot of things," the Boo complimented her, apparently impressed. "And you have solved your enigmas really fast. Here's the last one."

The last picture was showing a stick figure celebrating, there were tons of balloons and streamers raining down on them and a pile of wads of notes at their feet. Shokora was stumped.

"Hmm... 'Party'?" she answered unconvincingly.

"I'm afraid this isn't the right answer."

…

Time Remaining : 25 minutes.

"What do you mean? You can't have no idea what The Mole is! It's a famous game show and you're supposed to give me a clue since I've helped with your task! Monty Mole said so!" Boo tried to keep his calm, but the man in front of him was not cooperative at all.

"_You_ asked me to give you a task, I never knew you were participating in a game," the pale human replied to the ghost. "I thought you were just happy to help me in my daily job, I have no affiliation with this Monty Mole you speak of."

**Boo** : _Are you kidding me? There was a green flag hanging from the top of the stand, and the man still says that he's got no part in our game whatsoever?_

"But your stand has a green flag!" Boo noted, pointing his finger at the peculiar item. "Oh shoot... There isn't any thumbprint on it!"

"So you see? I was telling the truth after all!" Boo ignored him and floated faster than ever, hoping to find another stand. He needed to act fast, time was ticking.

* * *

_Sorry for the long wait, but I was busy. Most of the chapter was written one month ago, but then I had midterms (college... *groans*), after that I forgot my computer battery at my flat, and finally I got sick for at least a week. Not to mention that I was trying to make progress on my first Mole game online. It's nearly finished, though. :p_

_Anyway, this chapter is shorter than the previous one, but I don't want my first chapters to be too big otherwise the last ones will be enormous. Also, if you don't like the fact that some characters didn't have as much spotlight as others (Kolorado, where art thou ? *shot*), don't worry. Kolorado's going to be first next chapter. _

_So this it it, until next time ! And thanks to the people who voted on my poll !_


	4. Hectic Day

**BoomShroom** : Thank you for your review ! You're right, it's true that things that are insignificant now could become relevant in the future, a little like some of the slip ups of last season's Mole. I also like your opinions on the players, because it helps me to see if I really managed to give them the characterization I wanted or not. ^^ It's always fun to try to guess the psychology behind the choice of the Mole too, especially when the cast is really diverse. And for some reason, I believe this cast is slightly better in that regard, compared to last season's.

**LightSpeed508** : Haha, I usually try not to recycle clues that were used in previous seasons, but sometimes I also like to say that I don't when I actually do. :p I absolutely love your remark about Waitress, it made me laugh. XD Thank your for the review !

**Kaiimi** : One of the reviewers actually found the answer to her puzzle, but I can't tell you yet since it would maybe spoil you for this chapter. Thank you for your suspicions and your review !

**Moley** : Oh, I thought you'd actually like Bullet Bill since he isn't a major Mario character at all. Yes, this challenge seems fairly easy but you never know when the Mole could strike. :p In my Mole game, the Mole actually managed to screw up the players in the most simple tasks. XD So everything's possible, I'd say. Thanks for your review !

**Spike Brigadier** : Oh, I didn't know about Murphy's Law, thanks for telling me. Boo could be eliminated, but then again, maybe he won't. :p And there's a twist coming up for the first execution, so anything could happen. ^^ I take note of your dislike of Goombario, and I think I'd actually do like you and help my own team. ^^ Thanks for the review !

**Fredthemontymole** : Yes, I thought it would be relatively funny if something like this happened. The man would be like : "WTF? Well, 'k, I'll let you help me if you want." Love your pun about our favorite swordfish. XD I think Melody's almost everyone's favorite Luigi's Mansion ghost. She's just awesome ! I guess I really like Madame Clairvoya too, but I don't think she would be allowed on the show with her powers. Thank you for your review !

**PSULucky** : I usually try to put at least one clue per chapter, but sometimes it's too hard or things just don't go my way and there'll be none (but in another chapter there will be 2-3 to make up for this lack of clues, like in the first story). I'm glad you weren't sure about the winner, I wanted to hint at Waitress being the liar because she didn't give as much detail as Boo, but I didn't want it to be super obvious either. It's really hard to pinpoint the Mole during the first episodes... Though I also fail when it's the finale. I'm really liking your impressions on the characters as it tells me who I should improve on writing. I kinda intend to give Shokora a specific personality but I'm not sure it's working so far. Also, I'm glad you wrote your point of view on this season's Mole, it's really interesting to read and to compare with my own thoughts. Thanks for the review !

**111HungerGames111** : Thank you for your review ! I didn't know you'd be interested in this kind of story.

**KingBloo** : Thanks for the support ! And yeah, you nailed it ! It's exactly what you say. Or you could switch 2-3 things around but it works anyway.

* * *

Previously on The Mole, after an epic showdown between Goombario and White Mage, a winner was revealed!

_"Who would have thought?" asked a pink-haired woman, as the other girls clapped for her victory. "It was really close, but good game, Goombario," White Mage extended her arm._

_Goombario smiled to her as he shook her hand. "Well, you were clearly better since you beat me to the ball!"_

And because the females won the first challenge, it meant that the first exemption of the game was awarded to their leader who was none other than Waitress.

_Monty Mole nodded in appreciation to the politician who smiled back at him. "Thank you very much, Shokora. Now, I would like to give this little jewel," the host held up the exemption card for them to see, "to the leader of the winning team. Waitress, come get your reward!"_

_"Yay, I'm so glad!" Waitress laughed enthusiastically as she ran to claim her due. Her eyes sparkled with glee once she obtained the exemption card._

But one final question needed an answer : would the team earn any money for this challenge?

_The white ghost glared at Goombario. "And Waitress lied to you because she actually lost the coin toss," Boo declared matter-of-factly, his eyes closed. "So, as I've been saying all this time, if our team had won two matches out of three, the twenty thousand coins would have been ours. But that didn't happen because of an unfortunate series of events..." _

A little downhearted after the loss of their first challenge, the players began to suspect one another, realizing that the game had already begun.

**Enguarde** : _Hmm... I've been trying to recall what exactly happen during the games and I realized that we lost because of Bullet's stupid strategy. Why did we agree to go with this plan actually? It's truly baffling how easy it was for him to sabotage. 'Let's take out the weakest first, guys!' I hate myself for falling to such a trap!_

**Shokora** : _To me, Boo is a suspect of choice. I believe it was not a coincidence he was chosen as the male Mole, prior to the challenge. To me, it appeared that he tried to make himself look suspicious in our eyes so that he would have a better chance to sabotage the first challenge. His performance was also lacking on the dodge ball field, and he apparently is the game's expert. What a great profile for the Mole..._

Later on, after a delicious meal, Monty Mole brought the players to Shroom Airport where their second challenge would take place and explained to them the rules of the mission.

_"Well, if you'd let me explain the rules in details... Everything will become clear," Monty Mole announced, effectively shutting the players up. "This challenge is called 'Airport Mayhem' and it's worth twenty thousand coins. The goal of the challenge is rather simple, each of you need to bring a bag that isn't your own back to this flag before three o'clock, so you only have a little more than forty minutes for this challenge." _

Each player scrambled to grab a bag as fast as they could, but some had more trouble than others...

_"What do you mean? You can't have no idea what The Mole is! It's a famous game show and you're supposed to give me a clue since I've helped with your task! Monty Mole said so!" Boo tried to keep his calm, but the man in front of him was not cooperative at all._

_The last picture was showing a stick figure celebrating, there were tons of balloons and streamers raining down on them and a pile of wads of notes at their feet. Shokora was stumped. _

Would all the belongings be retrieved before the plane was scheduled to take off?

**First name : Waitress**

Surname : Serva

Birthday : July 4

Job : Waitress

**First name : Melody**

Surname : Pianissimo

Birthday : March 13

Job : Musician

**First name : Blanche**

Surname : Magus

Birthday : April 22

Job : White Mage

**First name : Boo**

Surname : Fanto

Birthday : October 31

Job : Spy

**First name : Shokora**

Surname : Enekora

Birthday : May 19

Job : Politician

**First name : Dixie**

Surname : Kong

Birthday : June 7

Job : Circus Performer

**First name : Enguarde**

Surname : Espadon

Birthday : December 8

Job : Oceanographer

**First name : Bullet**

Surname : Bill

Birthday : February 25

Job : Demolition Specialist

**First name : Goombario**

Surname : Goomarroon

Birthday : September 16

Job : Dojo Owner/Master

**First name : Kolorado**

Surname : Raiver

Birthday : January 19

Job : Archaeologist/Explorer

4 : Hectic Day

Time Remaining : 25 minutes

Kolorado was chuckling merrily as a family of four engaged in friendly conversation with him. They had been talking for at least five minutes and had dragged him over to a cybercafe, offering him a drink. The old archaeologist accepted the invitation and followed the group, completely forgetting about the mission he had to complete.

"So, young lad! Your mom told me you wanted to become an explorer when you grow up, eh?" Kolorado smiled as the young Shy Guy blushed a deep shade of red. "Aw, no need to get so embarrassed around me!"

"Maskass is a big fan of yours, mister Kolorado!" blurted out the pink Shy Gal, teasing her little brother.

"Loki, this isn't fun!" complained Maskass, rolling his eyes. "But she's right though, you're a real hero for me and some of my friends! We all call you 'Daring Do' and we've heard everything about your adventures!"

Kolorado beamed. "Eh? Really? Why, you're going to make me blush, I'm not used to such praise, young boy!" Kolorado patted the little Maskass on his head as his parents looked at him, amused.

"I must say," the mother started, "I would have never guessed that you were this friendly toward total strangers. You're really someone, I tell you."

"Yeah, we asked Zip Toad for an autograph the other day and he didn't even acknowledged us," the father confirmed, indignant. "You would think a star of his caliber would welcome fans with open arms!"

"Oh well, some people prefer to distance themselves from their fans. I mean, I can't exactly compare with Zip Toad, he's known worldwide and I'll never reach his popularity so it's quite easy for me to take some time for people like you," Kolorado explained thoroughly before turning his attention back to Maskass. "And besides, it's not like I'm busy or anything!"

"Oh yah? Really now?" A black missile was standing behind Kolorado, visibly not amused. Arms crossed, he frowned at Kolorado's attitude.

**Bullet Bill** : _So I enter this cybercafe, looking for a bag belonging to one of our friends and I see Kolorado dilly-dallying, completely oblivious to the fact that we've got a mission on our hands. The guy even had the nerves to say that he has free time while the rest of us is running around the airport, desperately looking for bags. I didn't want to cause a scene but I just wanted to shake him badly._

"Sorry to intrude this charming reunion, but we're playing a game," Bullet Bill explained to the little family. "And this guy here's supposed to be working with us to look for belongings that were scattered all around the airport. It should be some kind of black bag with a green thumbprint on it," the missile suddenly paused, looking at something laying near the father's chair. "C'mon Kolorado, there was a bag here the whole time and you didn't pick it up?!"

"Well, in my defense I haven't been here for such a long time, we've only had a drink, I think," the explorer justified.

"Well your loss then, you'd better get a move on 'cause I'm pretty sure the team won't wait for you if you're late or be happy if you don't come back with our stuff. Peace out guys!" Bullet Bill saluted, going back to the entrance of the airport.

Kolorado and the foursome stayed silent until finally, the father opened his mouth. "Well, that was certainly interesting. It seems the rumors are true, your head's in the clouds most of the time!"

"Haha, well, I certainly can't deny it when you're saying it with such confidence!" Kolorado laughed in self-derisory humor. "Your heard the guy though, I'm sorry I couldn't stay more with you all! You can always visit me at Koopa Village once the game is over if you want!"

**Kolorado** : _I guess that I'm not the most down-to-earth person of the world, and it's true that I tend to forget things a lot, but what can I say? It's part of the package! You can't have everything for yourself, right? Haha! _

Kolorado waved once last time to his fans and jogged at a rather fast pace for his age, trying to make up for lost time.

…

Time Remaining : 27 minutes

The two most athletic contestants, Dixie and Goombario, were running toward the stands that Dixie had located when suddenly they stopped dead in their tracks.

"Crap," Dixie muttered, putting her hand over her mouth in surprise.

**Goombario** : _Once we arrived, we clearly realized the issue. There were never two stands with flags from the Mole but only one, which meant that one of us still had a problem : they needed to find yet another stand but time was slowly running out... Thankfully, Dixie decided to look for another one, but still... It was her fault in the first place if we had lost some time._

**Dixie** : _From above I couldn't clearly see the difference between the two flags but up close it became obvious that I'd made a mistake. Well, no biggie, I still had time left. But I think Goombario was suspicious of me..._

Dixie looked at Goombario and nodded to herself. "I'll go get another one, you can get this one!"

Goombario grinned. "Thanks and good luck!"

"No problem!" Dixie winked before running at fast speeds in another direction, vanishing in a sea of people. The master of the Goomnut technique immediately looked for the owner of the stand. He found a blue Piranha Plant with a white bow on her head as well has dark blue lipstick on her lips, which indicated that she was most certainly a female.

"Hello," greeted the Goomba as he reached her. He tipped his cap lightly out of politeness.

"Hi ya cutie!" purred the Piranha Plant, "The name's Myosotis, I guess you're from this Mole show or something, huh?"

"Yup, that's it!" Goombario nodded his head enthusiastically. "So you've got a task for me, I presume?"

"Exactly!" Myosotis confirmed his suspicions. "Don't worry, this challenge shouldn't take you more than a few minutes, at most!" The Piranha Plant led the blue-cap wearing Goomba to the back of her stand and pointed her leaves at pieces of wood strewn on the floor.

Puzzled, Goombario raised an eyebrow before turning to her, apparently waiting for further instructions. "So what do I need to do? You never told me."

"Oh yeah right, 'scuse me!" apologized the flower. "Well, these pieces of wood here," she knelt down next to said pieces, "actually form a piece of furniture. Your task is simple : just put them back together and show me when you're done, I'll give you a map with the place one of the bags is at." With that, she quickly departed and left Goombario alone.

"Well, I'd better get a move one. I guess."

**Goombario** : _It wasn't the most exciting task but I knew I had to be focused during my work. If I didn't build the piece of furniture correctly, I would not be able to get the location of one of our bags. And if I somehow messed up the thing, I could potentially waste all of my time because I'd need to restart my work from the very beginning._

…

Time remaining : 24 minutes

The piano virtuoso hummed one of her favorite tune – the Underwater Theme – as she floated at a rather fast pace toward the information desk, where she thought she would be able to retrieve one of the bags containing the belongings of one of her peers.

**Melody** : _This game will be a piece of cake, I'm sure of it. Sure, we made a mistake last challenge and assumed that we needed to win the dodge ball game to earn the money and it wasn't the case, however I still feel like we played a great match and it goes to show that everyone is motivated to give it their all. During that challenge, nine players out of ten did their best. I have a feeling the Mole won't be very successful throughout the game._

The blonde ghost scared a few customers away when she contorted her face in a way that did not seem natural, and as a result she was able to reduce the amount of people that were standing in line before the desk. She shook her head and emitted a small chuckle as she watched them scamper away in fright. "Bunch of cowards."

Finally, after several minutes, Melody was finally able to speak to the Pianta located behind the desk. "Good afternoon madam, how may I help you?" he greeted politely.

"Hello, I'm from this game show called 'The Mole', and I think you might have something that belongs to me," Melody stated casually, her eyes scanning the area where the Pianta worked, looking for the bag.

"Indeed I have," the Pianta declared as he picked up a bag from the ground. "All yours!"

"Yes!" Melody yelled triumphantly.

**Melody** : _I had an easy time with my own part of the mission, so I expected the others to meet success as well. Anyone losing this mission was either dumb or stupid. Or the Mole, whichever you prefer._

…

Time Remaining : 22 minutes

**Enguarde** : _Ugh, why does it always happen to me? I didn't know where the conveyor's belts were located so I asked around, and some Bob-omb guy told me it was somewhere but it was actually at the opposite side of the airport, so I lost valuable time... I knew I would need to speed up if I wanted to get the job done._

"Excuse me! I'm playing a game here!" Enguarde pushed lightly the people that were in his way to get to the supposed location of one of the bags more quickly. The blue swordfish tore down the stairs of the airport and managed to find the conveyor belts easily, but they were numerous and Enguarde only needed one bag.

"How am I supposed to know where to look?" the player voiced his incredulity as he floated calmly to one of the many bags that were moving along the first conveyor belt.

**Enguarde** : _Coming here right off the bat was a mistake in the first place. I should've never tried to find a bag without the clue coming with it._

Sighing to himself, the oceanographer wandered aimlessly, looking desperately for a bag which had the insignia from the show on its side, to no avail. "What am I doing wrong? Geez, why am I even asking myself this question? I'm looking for a needle in a haystack, that's what I'm doing wrong!" he groaned.

After he wasted a few more minutes, Enguarde threw the towel. He knew the repercussion for his acts would probably haunt him later on in the game, but he had no choice.

**Enguarde** : _Monty Mole had been very clear and had given us one order : come back to him before the time ran out, otherwise we would face dire consequences. I wasn't about to jeopardize my game just for two thousand coins! But just as I had decided to stop, something happened._

Kicking a bag to the side, Enguarde started backtracking when he suddenly saw a Shadow Siren from the corner of his eyes. What surprised him was not the creature himself, but rather what he was carrying in his right arm.

"It's the bag!" Enguarde shouted loudly, which indisposed an old Toadette who shot him a look of annoyance. Enguarde did not notice as he kept on hollering, his cries reverberated in the unusually calm airport. "Sir! SIR! Dammit, he didn't hear me!" The inhabitant of the sea did not think twice before he pursued the mysterious Shadow Siren.

…

Time Remaining : 21 minutes

"I hate puzzles!" Waitress whined, throwing her hands in the air. "Why can't you accept any of my answers?"

"I'm sorry missy, but I was given very strict instructions by your host, and I am by no mean permitted to tell you the answer to this enigma. Again, I'm sorry, but those are the rules," the Koopa apologized profusely before returning to his work.

"Aww... Cut me some slack, I can't figure it out myself," Waitress pouted cutely, possibly trying to charm the Koopa. Needless to say, she failed to garner any reaction.

**Waitress** : _Yeah, yeah, you're probably gonna say that I'm an airhead or that I'm really dumb 'cause you've figured it out way before me, but this task was impossible! And I was timed so I couldn't think straight!_

Looking at the fruits that were displayed on her shelf, Waitress began to ponder the possibilities. Suddenly, she let out an ecstatic laugh as she quickly took the grape in her hand and began to remove five little pieces of grape from the entire fruit and disposed them in the three baskets. She put three in the big basket, two in the medium-sized one, and she put the one she had previously used in the small one.

"Hey! Koopa-guyyy~!" Waitress called out to him, giggling to herself. The turtle came over and looked at her quizzically. "I finally got it! You said I had to use the fruits you gave me, but you never said I had to use them all, teehee!"

The Koopa rubbed the back of his head, visibly embarrassed. "Well, yeah but... It was kind of obvious to me, you see? This isn't the answer I'm looking for, sorry!"

"Come _on_, gimme a break!"

…

Time Remaining : 19 minutes.

**Shokora** : _This last picture had me stumped, I figured I was very close to solving it, but for some reason I could not find the correct word I was looking for. It was quite annoying, but thankfully I solved it with more than fifteen minutes to spare I think, so I was right on time._

"How about 'winner'?" questioned the politician, crossing her fingers and hoping for the best. The pink Boo nodded her head and handed her a map of the airport on which was situated a red cross which would help Shokora find the location of a bag.

"You have around twenty minutes left," the Boo warned her. "You should probably get moving."

"Yes, you're right, and thank you for your time," Shokora curtsied in politesse.

The purple-clad woman immediately unfold her map and began to trace the path she would have to take with her finger, apparently in deep thought. "It would seem that the bag I am looking for is somewhere near a fountain and... Oh! I think I passed it on my way here!" she exclaimed joyfully, running toward the hidden belongings.

As much as she hated to do it, the well-mannered politician had to push some people who did not seem like they wanted to bulge to reach her destination, as the airport was starting to become more and more packed. Nevertheless, she succeeded in finding the bag she was looking for, but she ceased beaming as soon as her eyes fell on the tag attached to the zip.

"Oh my... It's my bag, I can't take it back to Monty Mole," she bit her lip, trying to figure a way out of her predicament.

**Shokora** : _One of the rules stated that we could not bring our own bag back with us, so it meant that I still was not done with the challenge. But at the same time, I did not want to leave my bag here in plain sight, so I opted for a compromise._

"Well," Shokora started, carrying her bag over her shoulder, "the rules say I can't bring it back myself, but I can ask someone else to do it for me!"

Quickly, Shokora started looking for one of her companions, totally missing a certain blonde monkey who passed by her rapidly.

…

Remaining Time : 18 minutes

**Dixie** : _After my previous blunder, I let Goombario do his job at his stand while I decided to look for another one. As luck would have it, I quickly came across one and immediately asked the Sniffit in charge what I was supposed to do. All I had to do was deliver a pack of milk bottles to a bartender in the same airport. Thankfully I knew where it was because I've already been here before otherwise I would've been toast!_

Dixie Kong let out a small gasp as she pushed open the door to a bar called 'Seventh Heaven'. The nimble monkey immediately dropped the bottles she was carrying and took a deep breath to calm herself. Her back was aching after such strenuous activity and the bartender had to pour her a glass of water to make sure she was alright.

"Thank you," the monkey smiled gratefully as she accepted the glass that was given to her. "I guess I overestimated my strength, I shouldn't have tried to push myself so hard."

"Yeah, I mean, you may be strong but you still need to watch what you're doing," advised the Puny bartender. "Just because you're strong doesn't mean you're invincible, if you're carrying weighty stuff carelessly you could end up hurting yourself."

"True," nodded the monkey. "But I was in a fix, I needed to get this task done as soon as possible. Incidentally, I should probably get going! Thanks for the water!" Dixie winked on her way out as the bartender only had time to wave to her.

"Gosh, I hope there's still enough time," Dixie muttered to herself as she was raced to her stand. She made it back in only five minutes, and told the green Paratroopa in charge that she was done with her challenge.

"I did it, can I get my clue, please?"

"Here, take it," smile the owner of the stand. Dixie grabbed it and unfolded it hurriedly, her face becoming pale as she realized where her bag was located.

"Crap, it's on the parking lot," the blonde cursed her luck. "What do I do?"

**Dixie** : _It was kinda hopeless, I figured I wouldn't have time to grab the bag and make the trip back to Monty Mole under the allotted time limit, but at the same time I wasn't sure the others would have liked me to come back with nothing... It's one of these times where you need to make a choice but no matter which option you choose, it won't be good._

…

Remaining Time : 14 minutes

**Boo** : _I had a huge problem on my hands, you see? I first found a stand which had a green flag, but I unfortunately missed the fact that the thumbprint logo from the show wasn't on it, so it kind of screwed me over. So basically, I asked that guy if he needed my help and he gave me something to do – which I did – but when I was finished with my task he told me he had nothing for me. Which meant that I had wasted my time._

The white Boo was desperately looking for a bag, however he had no method and could not find any. The odds were stacked against the Boo too, for he had come across two stands and proposed his help, but both of the stand's owner had declared that someone had completed their task.

"Nothing ever goes my way, does it?" Boo complained as he slumped on a public bench. He closed his eyes for a second to think about his situation, and when he opened them again, he saw two of his fellow contestants apparently in deep discussion. Curious, the spy moved stealthily and positioned himself behind a plant so as to listen in on their conversation.

**Boo** : _What can I say? Old habits die hard._

Shokora was pacing back and forth in front of a flustered Kolorado. She had her bag with her while the explorer was empty-handed. "...this is not good at all," Shokora let out worriedly, frowning slightly. "I had assumed that by now, mostly everyone would have found at least a bag, but you didn't."

Kolorado nodded his head slowly. "Yes, I admit that I'm at fault here, but I'm trying as hard as I can! And surely, you must be aware of the alternative choice? If you bring back this bag to Monty Mole, it won't count because he said you couldn't take your own luggage. So not only will we lose the coins, but you'll also be penalized because you didn't respect the rules."

"I know that," Shokora retorted coolly. "But it does not feel right to take a penalty for you when I did my own part of the challenge. If I give it to you, you will be rewarded for doing nothing! It is not fair at all."

"Oh golly! What are we supposed to do? Our time's nearly run out and I doubt we'll get another bag by just standing there..."

"Well, we have no other choice. Take it," Shokora extended her arm and gave the Koopa her bag. Kolorado took it eagerly.

"Thanks Shokora, I owe you one!" the archaeologist smiled earnestly. "Well, we'd better get going!" Shokora nodded and the two of them walked away, toward Monty Mole's position.

Once they were far away, Boo came out of his hiding spot and shook his head, disappointed. "Looks like I wasn't the only one who had trouble with this challenge. Might as well follow them."

…

Remaining Time : 12 minutes

Sitting at the counter of the same stand she had been in for quite some time now, Waitress had laid her head on her crossed arms, visibly giving up on her task. From where she was, she could already see some players returning to the starting point, so she at least knew that she had several minutes left at her disposal to solve her puzzle.

"This is soooooo annoying," Waitress muttered almost inaudibly. "I don't get this enigma."

She stared at the three baskets and the five fruits in front of her in quick succession, however she still could not figure out the problem.

**Waitress** : _I kinda knew I was missing the point of the puzzle, 'cause, you know something's amiss when your simplest ideas don't work. But the problem was that I'd already tried everything I could think of..._

Thinking intensely, the waitress of the Excess Express grasped the cherry and put it in the biggest basket, along with the orange and the apple. In the medium-sized basket, she decided to place the banana. And finally, she positioned the littlest basket right next to the medium one and put the grape in such a way that it was halfway in both baskets.

"Kinda hope that's right," Waitress paused slightly, analyzing the disposition of her fruits. Once she was satisfied, she called for the Koopa wearing a white hoody. "Hey sir! I've got it!"

"Oh, do you?" grinned the owner of the stand. "So let's see..." He made a weird face as he looked at her answer and apparently struggled to come up with a conclusion. "I think that's wrong, sorry."

Waitress let out a huge groan, completely missing out on his hesitation, and, in a way, missing out on the fact that she was arguably almost right.

…

Remaining Time : 10 minutes

White Mage was looking everywhere for a bag in the women's restroom, but she could not find it. She closed the door with her elbow, careful not to touch any doorknob in case some people had not washed their hands before leaving, and turned around, facing the bathroom.

**Blanche** : _It was becoming incredibly obvious that there was no bag in the bathroom, and I almost left when suddenly, I realized something._

"Wait... There is no bag in the females' restroom, but..." Instinctively, she looked at the blue stick figure representing a man which was on the other door. "Should I...?" White Mage looked repulsed but she decided to give it a try, nonetheless.

She took extra precaution not to touch any door handle and wove through the door once it was ajar. "It's during these times that I'm glad to be a female. Oh my god, this restroom is so gross," she said daintily.

White Mage mustered her courage and looked inside one of the water closet. To her delight, she immediately found what she was looking for. Before leaving, she tore a piece of toilet tissue and used it to open the door and leave the bathroom.

"Yes! Now to return to our starting point..."

…

It was nearly time to conclude the challenge. Monty Mole was looking at his watch, counting down the remaining seconds before finishing the challenge. Several players had already reached him long ago, so they knew they were safe, but others had not managed to bring back a bag with them. Some of them still had not come back either.

"Only twenty seconds left," Monty Mole declared, his voice booming. Soon after he said this sentence, a player came rushing toward the group, panting slightly but with a smile on their face as they raised a bag in the air.

"Good job!" Goombario cheered happily.

"Three, two, one, and that's it everyone!" Monty Mole stated, his eyes shining with anticipation. "Forty minutes have passed, and only nine players stand before me, which means that already a rule was brok-"

"Sorry I'm late!" screamed a short simian figure, a blonde ponytail twitching behind her as she rushed toward the group. "Did I make it in time?" Dixie wondered aloud, her voice shaking as she took deep breaths.

"Unfortunately you didn't," Monty Mole answered stoically. "As I said before the challenge, people who would not come back here under the allotted time limit would suffer dramatic consequences." Dixie gulped uneasily, her eyes wide open. "However, since you did not delay us that much I will be lenient and not give you a huge penalty. The player whose bag you retrieved will be able to use what's inside, but the bag in itself is worth no money."

"I guess that's fair enough," Dixie managed to smile. "I'm glad I decided to look for the bag instead of returning immediately to the starting point, though." Monty Mole raised an eyebrow but did not add anything.

"Thanks Dixie!" Melody exclaimed happily, claiming her luggage.

"Now, Melody was the first one back here, with nineteen minutes to spare. She was obviously successful in her task and brought back Kolorado's bag, so she inaugurates the team pot and adds two thousand coins to your winnings, congratulations!"

"Alright, way to go Melody!" Bullet Bill patted her on the back, a little too strongly. He earned one of her famous icy glares. "Sorry!"

**Melody** : _Figures I would be the first one to win money for the team. I just knew it, this competition is in the bag._

"How did Bullet Bill fare? Well, he came back with Waitress' bag with seventeen minutes to spare, so he also adds two thousand coins into the team pot." The players all clapped and cheered once again.

"I knew you could do it!" Enguarde gave him a high-five.

"Goombario was the third one who returned in possession of Dixie's bag with twelve minutes to spare. You know the drill, he also earns money for the team," Monty Mole explained, a little bored. Boo scowled while the others rejoiced.

**Boo** : _He probably did it to make up for the first challenge, but let's be realistic a second here. He lost us twenty thousand coins and won us two thousand coins. Something the Mole'd like to do, in my opinion. Sabotaging huge amounts of money in the one hand and earning pitiful amounts of money while looking like a hero on the other._

"Kolorado brought back Shokora's bag with six minutes to spare, so he also adds two thousand coins to your pot. Congratulations to him!" Monty Mole had a hard time dissimulating a knowing smirk on his face.

"Boy, I don't think I deserve such applause," Kolorado looked at his feet, disappointed. Shokora decided not to say anything. Instead, she opted for an almost imperceptible nod.

**Waitress**: _Like, why the long face? Aren't you happy to win money? I swear, some people are totally strange._

"Blanche did great as well, although she was relatively slower. She found Enguarde's bag and came back with four minutes to spare!"

White Mage crossed her arms, a sly smile making its way on her face. "Was there ever any doubt?"

"Geez, stop acting so cool girl," Waitress laughed. "I wanna say lines like these too!"

"Well, it'll be hard considering you failed to bring a bag back, not that that's much of a surprise," Melody taunted. Waitress sent her a glare.

"Alright tiger, retract your claws," Enguarde told her, rolling his eyes. Now it was Melody's turn to fume.

**Enguarde** : _I think I found myself a new activity while on this show : annoy Melody. She's just so easy to piss off that it'd be a shame not to take advantage of it._

"And finally, with seconds to spare, Enguarde was able to retrieve Boo's bag, so yes, he also gives you two thousand coins!"

"You guys have no idea how troublesome this was for me..."

"Spelling your name sounds like it would be troublesome for you," Melody jabbed at him.

Shokora sighed slightly. "You two are impossible, you know that?"

"Guys, Monty's not finished yet," Bullet Bill interrupted their bickering.

"Yes, indeed," the host confirmed. "As I seem to recall, I think I told you there was a twist in this challenge, didn't I?"

Goombario tilted his head to the side. "I'm not liking this."

"Trust me, some of you will love this twist while others will simply hate it!" the host commented mysteriously, already playing mind games with the players. "Let's drop the suspense, shall we? The twist of this game, is that whoever didn't bring back a bag under the allotted time limit would suffer a penalty during the first quiz."

**Shokora** : _We were all frightened at the prospect of a twist, but when Monty Mole announced to us that the people who had not brought back a bag in time would obtain a penalty for the first questionnaire... I think my heart stopped beating for a moment. I was extremely disappointed and felt that this punishment was unnecessary and downright unfair in my case._

Kolorado sent an apologetic glance to Shokora, before asking a question to Monty Mole. "Say, lad, what's the penalty?"

"I'm glad you asked, Kolorado. The penalty is actually a minus two for the next quiz, meaning that we will subtract two points from the quizzes of Shokora, Dixie, Boo and Waitress. So basically, the others all have an advantage for the first episode. And considering that Waitress won herself an exemption, this penalty is void for her," Monty Mole added as an afterthought.

**Dixie** : _The feeling's horrible. I know I did the right thing when I decided to look for Melody's bag, but now my chances to get eliminated first are higher than ever, and it isn't reassuring at all. I wish I could go back in time and not waste time at certain moments of the challenge. _

"Well, still," Monty pursued after a pause, "Melody, Enguarde, Bullet Bill, Kolorado, Goombario and White Mage all managed to find a bag, so you won twelve thousand coins out of twenty thousand. Nice job!"

Challenge's Results :

_Money Won_ : 2 000 x 6 = 12 000

_Team Pot_ : 12 000 coins.

The host cleared his throat. "Well, now that that's out of the way, I'd like you guys to follow me to our plane. We're leaving the Mushroom Kingdom!"

"Oh really?" Boo wondered. "Where are we going?"

"Well, you know me, Boo. I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise..."

The host chuckled merrily as he waddled his way toward their plane. Some players groaned while others simply smiled in amusement, but they all eventually followed him. One last player had another reaction, though, they were giddy with excitement. That player knew exactly what would be their destination, for they were the Mole.

* * *

_Well, that's it with this chapter ! Hopefully the wait wasn't too long. ^^"_

_I tried to upload this chapter as soon as I was on my easter break, because I couldn't find the time before. Sorry if I take too long, but I'm really not a fast writer._

_Before leaving, I wanted to say something though :_

_If you like the Hunger Games and want to read a really funny parody of it, you could check up 111hungergames111's story, look past the form of the story and instead look at what's inside, I tell you, you'll have a good laugh if you don't take it seriously. XD_

_Also, AdmiralBobbery has started to write a Mole story too, it's really well-written, has a lot of details and I can tell it'll go far. Unfortunately he or she does not really get much reviews, so if you could support them, it would be greatly appreciated. Their story is called The Mole: Hidden Adversary. ^^_

_Well, that's it for the advertisements ! Until next time !_


	5. Flying Suspicions

**Light Speed508** : Haha, now you got me curious about that clue you found. XD Yeah, I must say that I don't really like public bathrooms either, you never know what to expect inside, so for a girl to go inside the men's bathroom, it must be pretty horrible. XD And yes, she's missing her luggage, along with Goombario and Bullet Bill. Thanks for the review!

**Kaiimi** : Hey Kai! Thanks for commenting on the story! I'm quite glad you're left wondering how certain aspect of the players' personalities will affect them in the long run, that shows that the cast is diverse and that's what I was aiming at, lol!

**Fredthemontymole** : You will know in this chapter where the rest of the game is going to take place, no worries! XD And yes, that was a slight reference to MLP! I just thought the nickname was so appropriate for Kolorado that I had to make a reference, but nothing too big because some people really don't like this kind of cameo. ^^ Thanks for the review!

**BoomShroom** : Thank you, I'm glad it wasn't lame. Well, Waitress actually could have since it wasn't against the rules. I like the way you think about the players, because I have the same train of thought actually. And sorry for not publicizing the next chapter as soon as you'd have liked. *shot*

**PSULucky** : Haha, I love parenthesis too! I actually made this challenge thinking there would be tons of opportunities to mess up. I feel like sometimes, when the missions are too straightforward, there isn't really much room for doubt. Boo seems like a popular character, but then again I'm not that surprised considering I love him as well. XD Thanks for the review!

**Moley Koopa** : Hi ya Moley! Well, normally there are only two missions, but I felt like having another one. *shot* Thank you for the review and happy Mole hunting!

**AdmiralBobbery** : Thank you! I really wanted to use tons of characters, some of them even more obscure than people like Shokora and Kolorado, but in the end I had to balance the cast out, so I scrapped some players who looked a little like others (Lady Bow, Bahamutt, Bowser to give you some names). I also love your suspicions on some of the players, it's true that personality plays a big part in the Mole.

**KingBloo** : Thank you so much for the comment, it was really nice to read! I'm hoping this story lives up to your expectations!

* * *

Previously on The Mole, the players continued to play their second challenge : a race around the airport to find their belongings!

_"This challenge is called 'Airport Mayhem' and it's worth twenty thousand coins. The goal of the challenge is rather simple, each of you need to bring a bag that isn't your own back to this flag before three o'clock, so you only have a little more than forty minutes for this challenge." _

_While some contestants showed their astute side, devising strategies that would lead them to victory..._

___The blonde ghost scared a few customers away when she contorted her face in a way that did not seem natural, and as a result she was able to reduce the amount of people that were standing in line before the desk. She shook her head and emitted a small chuckle as she watched them scamper away in fright. "Bunch of cowards." _

**Shokora** : _One of the rules stated that we could not bring our own bag back with us, so it meant that I still was not done with the challenge. But at the same time, I did not want to leave my bag here in plain sight, so I opted for a compromise._

...others fell flat on their face, their lack of foresight impeding their progress.

_Sighing to himself, the oceanographer wandered aimlessly, looking desperately for a bag which had the insignia from the show on its side, to no avail. "What am I doing wrong? Geez, why am I even asking myself this question? I'm looking for a needle in a haystack, that's what I'm doing wrong!" he groaned. _

**Boo** : _I had a huge problem on my hands, you see? I first found a stand which had a green flag, but I unfortunately missed the fact that the thumbprint logo from the show wasn't on it, so it kind of screwed me over. So basically, I asked that guy if he needed my help and he gave me something to do – which I did – but when I was finished with my task he told me he had nothing for me. Which meant that I had wasted my time._

But as always on The Mole, a plethora of sabotages rained down on the game, as the competitors committed a string of mistakes...

**Bullet Bill** : _So I enter this cybercafe, looking for a bag belonging to one of our friends and I see Kolorado dilly-dallying, completely oblivious to the fact that we've got a mission on our hands. The guy even had the nerves to say that he has free time while the rest of us is running around the airport, desperately looking for bags. I didn't want to cause a scene but I just wanted to shake him badly._

**Goombario** : _Once we arrived, we clearly realized the issue. There were never two stands with flags from the Mole but only one, which meant that one of us still had a problem : they needed to find yet another stand but time was slowly running out... Thankfully, Dixie decided to look for another one, but still... It was her fault in the first place if we had lost some time._

**Dixie** : _It was kinda hopeless, I figured I wouldn't have time to grab the bag and make the trip back to Monty Mole under the allotted time limit, but at the same time I wasn't sure the others would have liked me to come back with nothing... It's one of these times where you need to make a choice but no matter which option you choose, it won't be good._

**Waitress** : _I kinda knew I was missing the point of the puzzle, 'cause, you know something's amiss when your simplest ideas don't work. But the problem was that I'd already tried everything I could think of..._

However, in the end, the players successfully added twelve thousand coins to the team pot as six of them managed to retrieve and bring back a bag full of luggage in time.

_"Alright, way to go Melody!" Bullet Bill patted her on the back, a little too strongly. He earned one of her famous icy glares. "Sorry!" _

_"How did Bullet Bill fare? Well, he came back with Waitress' bag with seventeen minutes to spare, so he also adds two thousand coins into the team pot." The players all clapped and cheered once again. _

_"Goombario was the third one who returned in possession of Dixie's bag with twelve minutes to spare. You know the drill, he also earns money for the team," Monty Mole explained, a little bored. Boo scowled while the others rejoiced. _

_"Boy, I don't think I deserve such applause," Kolorado looked at his feet, disappointed. Shokora decided not to say anything. Instead, she opted for an almost imperceptible nod. _

_White Mage crossed her arms, a sly smile making its way on her face. "Was there ever any doubt?" _

_"And finally, with seconds to spare, Enguarde was able to retrieve Boo's bag, so yes, he also gives you two thousand coins!" _

But it was not over yet for the four players that had not succeeded in their task, for a shocking twist struck them harshly.

_"Trust me, some of you will love this twist while others will simply hate it!" the host commented mysteriously, already playing mind games with the players. "Let's drop the suspense, shall we? The twist of this game, is that whoever didn't bring back a bag under the allotted time limit would suffer a penalty during the first quiz." _

For one of the contestants, their lucky star saved them...

"_And considering that Waitress won herself an exemption, this penalty is void for her," Monty Mole added as an afterthought. _

...but the others were not as lucky.

"_The penalty is actually a minus two for the next quiz, meaning that we will subtract two points from the quizzes of Shokora, Dixie, Boo and Waitress. So basically, the others all have an advantage for the first episode."_

And now, after an eventful second challenge, the players prepare to board a plane, embarking on a whole new journey. What will their next destination be? Only the Mole knows...

**First name : Dixie**

Surname : Kong

Birthday : June 7

Job : Circus Performer

**First name : Kolorado**

Surname : Raiver

Birthday : January 19

Job : Archaeologist/Explorer

**First name : Bullet**

Surname : Bill

Birthday : February 25

Job : Demolition Specialist

**First name : Blanche**

Surname : Magus

Birthday : April 22

Job : White Mage

**First name : Boo**

Surname : Fanto

Birthday : October 31

Job : Spy

**First name : Shokora**

Surname : Enekora

Birthday : May 19

Job : Politician

**First name : Enguarde**

Surname : Espadon

Birthday : December 8

Job : Oceanographer

**First name : Melody**

Surname : Pianissimo

Birthday : March 13

Job : Musician

**First name : Goombario**

Surname : Goomarroon

Birthday : September 16

Job : Dojo Owner/Master

**First name : Waitress**

Surname : Serva

Birthday : July 4

Job : Waitress

5: Flying Suspicions

"Hey, lad, where do you think we're headed?" Kolorado asked Boo as the group pressed on toward the counter of their flight. Boo shrugged, almost as lost as the old explorer.

"Beats me. Right now I guess Monty's gonna request some tickets for the ones that failed to retrieve a bag, though," Boo answered dismissively.

"Oh right," Kolorado became quiet, lost in thought. After a few seconds, he talked again. "I expected an adventure, but boy, we're really starting this off quickly!"

Boo gave a faint smile. "I know. It just feels surreal!"

"Guys, hurry up already!" bellowed Melody. She, along with the rest of the group, was far ahead of the two stragglers and her temper was flaring.

"Alright, alright! We're coming!" Boo shouted back, before turning to the turtle. "C'mon, we don't want her to get mad at us."

Since the airport was packed, it was a necessity for the players to follow the host closely so as to not get lost. They had already been told that breaking the rules would have drastic consequences and did not want to face them. Besides, Monty Mole was of short stature, so losing him in the crowd could easily happen.

"Everyone, I would like to remind you that we are on a tight schedule," Shokora told them, her voice sweet but firm. "Thus, I believe it is only appropriate that we do not dilly-dally or get sidetracked, understood?" As she pronounced those words, she looked at Boo and Kolorado.

**Boo** : _Yeah, yeah, keep talking. I'm a grown man...or ghost. I don't need a mom to nurse me anymore, you know? Shokora's a little over the top when it comes to behaving and things like that. I know she's a politician, but still, there must be another reason why she's like this._

Enguarde rolled his eyes. "Yes, mom!" he snickered lightly. Melody whacked him over the head with a newspaper she had found on a bench. "Ow! What was that for?" Enguarde yelled angrily.

"Simply stop this foolishness!" Melody ordered. Goombario took a step back, not wanting to receive the same kind of attention as Enguarde.

"Thank you for assistance," Shokora smiled to the ghost.

"What's this? Some kind of girl power?" Bullet Bill joked, earning a few laughs from the others.

"What's taking so long?" Goombario wondered. Just as he said that, Monty Mole appeared with three flight tickets in his hands, tickets that he handed to Boo, Waitress and Shokora as it had been decided that Dixie would take the one she had found while looking for Melody's bag.

"Alright players, now that everyone possesses a ticket, we're finally going to be able to take our designated flight! Thankfully, going through the check-in area shouldn't take too long as you have literally nothing on you," Monty Mole stated, looking at each player individually.

"Hey, Monty? I don't recall you having any bag before you bought the others' tickets. Do you think you could tell us what's inside?" Dixie interrogated as she scrutinized Monty's bag, trying to discover its contents.

"That, my dear, is a surprise."

"Uh-ho... I don't like the sound of that," Goombario muttered inaudibly. White Mage nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Does this mean that we're going to compete in another mission?"

**Blanche** : _This game is carefully prepared in advance, and the producers are very meticulous in their work. Even Monty Mole himself watches what he is saying all the time, so when you see something odd you need to pay attention, because it could be vital in the future._

Waitress was quick to shake her head. "Like, no way! I don't wanna play in another challenge, I'm way too tired! Plus, we've already had two missions today, there can't be another one!"

Boo turned his head to the side and mumbled inaudibly. "Tch, I don't get how she can be tired. Not like she was of _any_ use during both challenges..."

Monty Mole chuckled with glee as he was assaulted by a barrage of questions. "You guys are a nosy bunch, I'll tell you that." Looking in the distance, he could already see Gate Sixteen, a symbolical and recurring number during the previous season. "Alright everyone, we're going through Gate Sixteen, so please follow me!"

The players, all giddy with excitement, immediately fell into steps behind Monty Mole. Even the Mole, as knowledgeable as they were, could not wait for their trip to begin.

…

The players all entered the large plane that would take them to their ultimate destination where they would spend the rest of their game. They were impatient, excited, and also a little anxious about it, as Monty Mole was being very secretive about the whole thing. Nevertheless, the players all decided that it was useless to badger the poor mole since he would not say a thing at all.

Because the entire plane was for them to use, the contestants made themselves comfortable, some of them sharing a row with people they appreciated, and others keeping to themselves or meditating, alone.

**Dixie** : _That was when I realized that the show spared no expense when it came to our comfort. It was reassuring...and a little disturbing to say the truth. I'm not used to such environment, so it was a new experience for me._

**Bullet Bill** : _Oh yeah! Now that's the life, a plane just for ourselves! Wicked! It was pretty sweet._

"My, I could get used to this luxury," White Mage giggled, a faint glint of light in her eyes as she took her seat next to Waitress who absolutely wanted to be on the window side of the plane.

"Same here!" Waitress laughed excitedly. "It's just, like, totally awesoooome!"

**Waitress** : _Blanche's, like, my favorite girl on the show. We totally connect with each other, we like the same things, we have the same tastes and we both like to be pretty. I'm sure we're gonna be best friends during this game._

**Blanche** : _While Waitress is a fun person to talk to, I don't think I'm going to commit to any alliance with her, simply because I don't think she would be of much use in this game – no offense to her. I would rather try to work with Shokora who seems much more level-headed than Waitress. Of course, it doesn't mean that I'll be ignoring Waitress at all. You don't want to burn any bridge in a __mental game like The Mole._

Boo decided to sit alone at the back of the airplane. Frowning, he glanced at his competition, trying to remember what each and everyone of his opponents had done in the first two missions.

**Boo** : _We've only managed to add twelve thousand coins in our team pot, and the total of coins we could have won was forty thousand. Kinda hard not to suspect the Mole was hard at work._

Melody and Shokora had decided to sit together as well, much like Enguarde and Bullet Bill who had become fast friends. Dixie and Kolorado were also sitting next to each other, with Goombario right behind them, that way they could all communicate together efficiently.

**Bullet Bill** : _You could already see friendships developing a little everywhere in the plane, so yeah, it was nice to see that people weren't already super suspicious of each other. I know I should be wary of everyone but right now I only have a few suspicions so yeah, I don't wanna be bothered by that already. _

Once everyone was seated comfortably, Monty Mole rose from his own chair and waddled his way to the front area of the plane so as to face the ten players. "In a few moments, we will depart from this airport to reach new lands and find new opportunities. As you are all well aware, the Mole is a game where you need to make decisions, and there is something I need you to decide on, right about now."

Goombario looked up from his seat, directly at Monty Mole. "So we're really going to play a game in a plane, then?"

Monty Mole shook his head rapidly. "Not really. I need you all to decide who between you all is a born leader. Please think about it, as it may affect the game in one way or another."

Melody raised her hand in the air almost immediately. "I can be the leader, I think I've proven myself so far."

Enguarde scoffed, a few seats behind her. "No, we're not choosing you, you're way too impulsive for my taste." Melody glared daggers at him.

"Unlike some people, I believe I have shown that I was a _true_ competitor," she growled. "I don't think the same can be said about you, Enguarde."

"Well, sorry my boy, but I can't exactly disagree with Melody here," Kolorado piped up. "So far she's proven that she was quite capable, wouldn't you say so?"

"But Enguarde is right," White Mage noted. "Melody is impulsive, and no offense to her, but she doesn't seem like the type to listen to anyone. A true leader must show some qualities that she doesn't have. And her communicative skills are lacking." Melody huffed in annoyance, but did not press the point further.

"So, who do you want to take on this job?" the blonde ghost questioned.

"I was thinking we should pick Shokora," shrugged the swordfish, eyes closed. "In my opinion, she fits the bill."

"I honestly wouldn't mind Shokora being the leader," Kolorado approved. "She's one fine lass, and I feel that we will be victorious with her as our leader."

"Like, I really don't care," Waitress commented with an offhand gesture. "We don't know how it'll affect the game so it's not like we have something to base our choice on, you know?"

"I think Enguarde's choice is the most sensible one," Dixie winked at him. "Shokora is a politician, she should know everything about being a leader, shouldn't she?"

**Dixie** : _Thinking about it, there was only one obvious choice... Which made me slightly suspicious of Shokora. I mean, of course we were going to choose her as our leader, she's a politician after all. And that in itself is suspicious : maybe this twist was created with the idea that she would be chosen anyway._

"Shokora seems like a good choice," Goombario finally declared. "Even though I must admit that I kinda wanted to be the leader." Shokora gave him a faint smile.

"Well, I don't mind either way. You can be our leader if you want to, I will follow the group."

"Oh, no no, it's alright. I'm sure you'll make a good leader," Goombario grinned boyishly. Enguarde nodded his head.

"All in favor of Shokora, raise your hand!" the swordfish exclaimed joyously. Almost everyone showed their approval the moment he pronounced these words, with only Melody and Boo being reluctant. In the end, the both of them joined the group and raised their hand.

"Shokora, I believe you have been elected unanimously by your peers, so congratulations on being the leader of your team!" Monty Mole clapped for her as the politician smiled with grace.

"What is my task?"

"Nothing...for now," Monty Mole stated mysteriously, a sly expression adorning his face. Turning on his heel, the host fished some sort of book from the bag he had been previously carrying, and showed it to the players.

"It's a journal!" Boo blurted out, attracting the attention of the others. Seeing their confusion, he developed. "These journals are used to jot down our suspicions, our information, our feelings... We can write everything we want in them, there are precious tools in this game."

"You are correct Boo, but then again it is no surprise that you of all people would recognize them. Each and everyone of you will be entrusted with a journal which number ranges from one to ten. I recommend using them to note the information you obtain, and to study what you write inside because it could become relevant during the quizzes." Monty Mole put it back where it belonged and pass the entire bag to the players who were sitting closest to him.

Waitress dug her hand inside and picked journal two at random, but White Mage was hesitating. "I wonder..." She turned to face Boo. "Do you know if the journal we choose matters?"

"Not that I know of," Boo lied convincingly. White Mage hesitated a few more seconds before reaching for journal number four.

**Enguarde** : _I noticed Blanche's hesitation, and it was pretty weird. If she gets an advantage or something in the next challenge, she'll probably be at the top of my suspects list. I mean, only the __Mole would know things like that._

**Blanche** : _Mmmh... I chose journal four, because I believe four is the symbolical number of this season. This is the fourth season, and there are four letters in the word 'mole', which leads me to believe that it will probably be a significant clue throughout our journey. I could be wrong, obviously, but it isn't like my choice could be detrimental to me in the end._

Monty Mole passed the bag to Melody and Shokora. Both of them were quick to retrieve one journal from it. They respectively picked journals five and eight. Next to choose was Dixie, she obtained journal one. Kolorado received journal seven and Goombario took journal ten. Right after them were Enguarde and Bullet Bill. The missile did not care about his journal and got the one numbered with a three, whereas journal nine was Enguarde's to use, which left Boo with journal number six.

"Now, you all have your own journal, I wish you a good investigation!" Monty Mole saluted before taking his leave. Soon after he departed, a gray Boo with gray ribbons on both sides of her head made her way toward the players.

"Hello everyone and welcome aboard our plane. I am Flona and I will be your flight attendant today. We, at the 'Es Una Company' are pleased to accompany you and serve you during your flight. We will stop shortly at 5PM to refuel but you won't be able to leave the airplane, and we should arrive at around 7PM. I hope you'll enjoy your trip!" Straightening her ribbons, she continued. "Now, as per procedure, I must tell you about security measures in case we would encounter danger. Please listen attentively."

**Kolorado** : _Oh boy, here's to hoping our journey won't go Final Destination style!_

…

Now flying for two hours, the players were growing a little tired and bored, which is why they naturally turned their attention to their journal, the only thing that could provide them with entertainment. The game was on.

"Hey bro," Bullet Bill called to Enguarde who was writing furiously inside his journal, "what are you writing? I dunno what to do with mine."

**Bullet Bill** : _I'd been observing Enguarde for a while and the guy wouldn't stop writing in his journal. I kinda thought it was strange 'cause I had no idea what to do with mine. I mean, sure, you can write stuff that happened during challenges or your impressions, but Enguarde had already filled at least five or six pages! I was kinda embarrassed._

Enguarde raised an eyebrow, an expression of disbelief on his face. "Are you serious?"

"As serious as ever!" Bullet Bill retorted in annoyance. "I just don't understand how you keep going like that when we've just begun the game."

Enguarde crossed his fins and closed his eyes. "Bullet, there's just so much to write about. You can put information about the players in your journal, because it will come in handy, you can write your suspicions, you can write your strategies, things like that!" Bullet Bill shrugged.

"And that's what I did. Listen : 'First challenge, Boo and Waitress could win an exemption. People suspicious : Goombario, Boo, Waitress. Second challenge, Dixie, Shokora, Boo and Waitress failed to bring a bag in time. Suspicious : Waitress, Boo and Dixie. Strong suspicions about Kolorado.'"

"But Bullet, you need to be more precise with your feelings. Trust me, when you sit before the quiz, you'll want your suspicions to be as clear as possible," Enguarde smiled kindly. "Let me read you an excerpt from my own journal... 'Waitress is a suspect of choice. Why exactly? Well, in the second challenge, she wasted all of her time on a single riddle! She never even tried to look for the bag, and to be perfectly honest, I'm not even sure she tried to solve it. If you couple that to the fact that she's the weakest both physically and mentally in the group, you'll find yourself with an ideal Mole.'"

"Hmm... You know what? I'm gonna try it, not like I have anything else to do!" the black missile chuckled merrily.

…

Waitress was looking out of the window, admiring the scenery that unfolded before her eyes, while White Mage was taking notes, occasionally glancing at the Toadette. After a while, Waitress grew bored and finally opened her journal.

"Sooo," started the purple-haired girl, "do you think we could, like, talk about stuff?" she questioned, winking in the process. White Mage looked at her with sincere puzzlement.

It took her several seconds, but she finally regained her composure. "Define stuff," she demanded, stiffening a giggle.

"Well, you know. Who you thought was kinda suspicious, this kind of stuff," Waitress hinted conspicuously.

**Waitress** : _I'm, like, one hundred percent sure that Blanche is smart. There's totally no doubt in my mind. Which is exactly why I decided to interrogate her, because she could have, like... I don't know, maybe she noticed something suspicious that I didn't see?_

White Mage put a finger to her chin, considering Waitress' offer. "I suppose we could talk about this kind of 'stuff'," she declared, miming the apostrophes with her fingers. "But I just want to state first and foremost that I'm suspecting everyone to a certain degree. And yes, that means you too."

"Huh? Really?" Waitress seemed to be in shock. "Why would you suspect cute little me?"

"Anyway, right now I have one big suspect in mind," White Mage evaded the question. "That suspect is Melody."

"Why her? She found a bag, didn't she?"

"Perhaps, but it could have been an act to redeem herself, not to mention that it was her fault we decided to trust you during the first mission and lost twenty thousand coins at the same time..."

**Blanche** : _Well, to be fair it was more of Waitress' fault that we lost the first challenge. But I wasn't going to tell her._

"Like, there's so much to think about. This game's sooo hard," Waitress complained. "I'm just glad I got myself an exemption!" she cheered in a sing-song voice. White Mage raised an eyebrow.

"So, what about you? Who do you suspect?"

…

"Boo is my first and obvious choice," Shokora admitted, nodding to herself to further prove her point. "I do realize that he knows more about this game than any of us, but you also must understand that the Mole knows in advance what is going to happen. With that in mind, it is fairly sure that the Mole knew of the twist that happened during the first mission."

"You mean the 'choose your Mole right now' twist?" Melody wondered aloud.

"Yes, that is what I mean," confirmed the princess.

Melody pondered over Shokora's last statement. "But if you were a producer, would you really want to put the Mole under the spotlight at the very beginning of the game? I know I wouldn't," Melody continued, playing with a strand of her blonde hair. Shokora was surprised.

**Shokora** : _Never once had I thought of it this way. I was so focused on Boo's relatively odd behavior that I did not explore other possibilities. Melody did bring a good point, I don't think I would have picked someone so suspicious to play the role of the Mole... However, the thought still lingered. What if they had?_

"And besides," the piano virtuoso carried on, "Boo wasn't the most suspicious player during our first challenge." Melody stopped for a second. "Also, I would want to point out that the Mole might have not been at work during the first challenge. I'm personally thinking it could be Enguarde."

"Oh, come on, now," Shokora waved a finger in front of her friend's face. "Don't tell me you're suspecting him because he made fun of you?" she reproached.

"Not at all. I just don't trust him as far as I can throw him," Melody shrugged. "During the second challenge, I was with him when he decided to check the conveyor's belts. He had ample time to find his bag there, but he barely made it. In my opinion, he was probably aiming for a late arrival but came short."

**Melody** : _The Mole would want our group to be fragmented, and Enguarde does just that. He's acting like I'm the bad guy when in fact, it is his incessant remarks that irritate me and trigger some of my reactions._

…

Kolorado, Dixie and Goombario were all sitting on the same side of the airplane and were discussing cheerfully about various things as well as what they were doing in their normal lives.

"The reason why I decided to apply for this game was because I simply love mysteries, my friends!" the old explorer claimed happily. "You know, I've been here and there during my explorations, and I've always thought it would be – how would you guys say – wicked if I were to actually unravel a living mystery!" Dixie and Goombario both laughed.

**Goombario** : _Kolorado's a really fun guy, he's telling us all of these great stories about mysteries and traps that he triggered during his explorations, and that's really fun! But I don't know if he realizes he's giving us all this valuable information and we're giving him nothing in return. Oh well!_

Dixie looked around the plane, smiling broadly. "Oh my gosh, I'm already loving this game!"

"Me too!" Goombario agreed rapidly. "It reminds me of the time when I was solving a 'crime' with Mario at Shiver City. Except with more action, obviously."

"The challenges are quite amusing too," Kolorado declared, tugging at his mustache. Goombario nodded.

"For me, it's the search for the Mole that's the most exciting thing on the show!"

"True!" Dixie smiled. "Hey, speaking of that, who do you guys suspect? I don't expect you to tell me everything, but it'd be cool if you shared a little with me. I'll start first if you want to."

**Dixie** : _I figured the fastest way to gain their trust was to give them something first. Besides it doesn't really matter who I suspect now, because I could change my mind at any moment so it won't particularly help them._

"Go ahead, lass!" Kolorado grinned excitedly.

"Okay, so to me, Blanche's the most suspicious. Why? Well, without her the girls wouldn't have won the first challenge and the team would be twenty thousand coins richer," Dixie elaborated smartly. Goombario rubbed his chin for a moment.

**Goombario** : _Dixie's actually my current pick for the Mole, so I had to lie about my true suspect._

"Shokora could be a good Mole," uttered the master of the Goomnut technique. "Nobody would think it's her at first glance, so she could be it," he said tentatively.

Dixie shook her head with vehemence. "But she didn't do anything wrong."

"So what? I mean, maybe the Mole didn't sabotage at all. You can't know what they did, unless you're the Mole, which is why this game is complicated."

"I daresay Bullet went down quickly during the first challenge. And he didn't go down quickly once nor twice, but thrice!" the mustachioed explorer exclaimed. "It is strange given that he was our best asset against your team, Dixie."

The monkey sighed, putting down her journal. "Anyone could be the Mole."

…

Located behind the others, a pair of suspicious eyes scanned the entire plane, looking for the Mole. Boo frowned and let out an exasperated sigh as he closed his journal.

"Just who is it?" asked the white spherical being to no one in particular.

**Boo** : _All I know is that I'm not the Mole. The nine others? They could be it. I can't trust anyone here, I must rely solely on my instinct and my brainpower. _

…

"Where are we going? I can't see anything!" Enguarde grumbled as he was holding hands with two of his fellow players.

The contestants had been blindfolded as soon as they were nearing their destination, so they did not know where they currently were. It unnerved them slightly as they were deprived of their most useful sense and kept tripping and tumbling down.

"I swear, if that's a joke it ain't funny!" Bullet Bill raged, looking around in confusion. "Monty, what's the meaning of this?"

The host stopped whistling a tune to himself and responded to the cranky player. "Patience, Bullet, we're almost there!"

**Kolorado** : _We didn't know whether to be afraid or excited because Boo had told us about several 'surprises' that happened to the players in the past seasons. And they weren't always good if you catch my drift._

"I sense civilization," joked Shokora as she felt a paved road under her feet. A few of them chuckled uneasily.

"Well, at least we now know that we won't be abandoned in the wild," Melody rolled her eyes. If she could have, she would have sent an accusatory glare at Boo.

They continued to march onward for a few minutes before Monty Mole allowed them to remove their blindfolds.

"Where are we?" White Mage asked no one in particular, shielding her eyes from the light.

"It looks like a town!" Enguarde jested in fake surprise, which made White Mage roll her eyes.

"I knew that. I was wondering in which town we were located."

"Hmm... Are you familiar with these surroundings, Kolorado?" the blonde monkey questioned.

"Not at all, miss!" Kolorado replied. "However, a simple glance at the architecture of this town tells me that we're in Beanbean Castle Town," pursued the archaeologist. "Don't you see all those indentations that look like beans?"

Monty Mole cleared his throat, which silenced the players immediately. "Contestants, I welcome you all to the Beanbean Kingdom where the rest of your journey will unfold." The players all looked around happily, none of them had ever been to the Beanbean Kingdom even though it was bordering the Mushroom Kingdom.

"And that," Monty Mole extended an arm toward the structure that was erected behind him, "will be our hotel for the rest of the game. I know you must all be very tired after this trip, so I will give you the keys to your rooms. There are five rooms rented for the lot of you, so you'll have to share."

"Me and Bullet will share a room," Enguarde immediately called. The host handed him his key.

"Your room number is 215," Monty Mole smiled. "Dinner will be brought directly to your room, have a nice night!" Enguarde and Bullet Bill high-fived and ran at full speed toward their room.

Seeing as nobody volunteered to grab a key, Shokora decided to take one. "Who wants to be my roommate?" White Mage raised her hand and joined her.

"If you don't mind, of course." Shokora only replied with a smile.

"Well, go to room 216, girls. Nighty night."

"Goodnight everyone!" they both said at the same time.

"Who wants room 217?" the host questioned, moving the key around. Waitress looked at the others and realized they were not going to bulge anytime soon.

"I kinda wanted to room with Blanche but since she's, like, already with Shokora, I'm gonna take this one and hope somebody wants to be with me?" Waitress explained, taking the key from Monty Mole's hand.

Surprisingly, Boo volunteered to be her partner. "I'll come with you unless you want someone else."

"See ya everyone!" Waitress giggled before leaving the others, key in hand. Boo acknowledged the others with a nod and followed her inside.

"Melody, you want to share a room with me?" Goombario asked kindly.

"Sure, why not?" was the ghost's reply. They took off to room 218, leaving Dixie and Kolorado with room 219.

"Let's go!" yelled an enthusiastic Dixie who had already snatched the key from Monty's hand. Kolorado walked at a fast pace right behind her.

Monty Mole stood behind and looked at the hotel's entrance for a moment. "The Mole has just claimed their room... It will soon get interesting." Rubbing his hands, the host made his way to his own room, already planning for the next day.

…

For the first night and after an eventful day, the players were allowed to sleep in. Thus, most of them only deigned to show themselves when it became necessary, at around lunch. Dixie was the last to show up on the first floor, she greeted the others once she saw them.

"Hi everyone!" the blonde monkey chirped happily. "Did you all have a nice night? I sure did!" the player beamed, full of energy. She took her seat next to Boo.

Shokora looked up from her plate and smiled. "Hello Dixie, you sure seem lively! I wish I could say the same about everyone," she trailed off, directing her attention toward Enguarde who was slumped over the table.

"What did this fool do, again?" Melody crossed her arms in annoyance.

"You wanna know what he did all night long?" Bullet smirked, looking at his comrade. "He wrote in his journal."

"Seriously?" Goombario's mouth was agape. "This guy's a machine." Bullet Bill chuckled merrily.

"Not really. He's barely functional right now. Hopefully, he'll listen to me in the future and stop writing in his journal."

"He's a bit excessive," Kolorado noted, before pouring himself a glass of water. "I say someone should try to reason him of something."

"He's a grown swordfish, he'll do just fine," Dixie waved her hand dismissively.

"You guys realize that I'm right beside you? I can hear you, you know," Enguarde muttered as he rubbed his eyes. Everyone laughed at his expense. "I hate you all."

**Shokora** : _We treated the situation lightly, but in all seriousness, I sincerely hope Enguarde will not stay up all night ever again, otherwise it could affect his performance during the challenges._

"Good morning players!" Monty Mole screamed as he barged into the room, surprising a few of them. Waitress shrieked in genuine fear, while others choked on their food. "I love being a host," Monty Mole grinned coyly to the camera.

"Monty, could you, like, have the decency to greet us like a normal person?" Waitress glared daggers at him.

"Nah, too boring." Most of the players slapped their head, cursing the host's eccentricity. "Anyway, I trust you all had a good night, right? I sure hope so because I have another challenge coming your way, right after lunch!"

"I miss my belongings," White Mage sighed, a longing look in her eyes. Goombario nodded at her words.

"Yeah, you tell me. Thankfully we had enough time this morning to buy the bare necessities," Goombario told the others. He then proceeded to finish his French toast.

"When are we gonna get our stuff back?" Bullet wondered in between mouthfuls. "I don't think it was ever specified."

"We will return your luggage to you after the first execution," Monty Mole answered.

"So, what's with this third challenge?" Boo asked in curiosity. "I thought there were only two challenges on the first episode."

"Nothing's set in stone, you know. And if you'll remember correctly, the first season had three challenges during its first episode," the host reminded him. "Anyway, meet me outside once you're done!" The host departed, leaving behind him several confused players.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up!" Boo demanded, gulping down his remaining food.

…

Guided by their host, the players walked to their next destination, marveling at the sight of a whole new country. They did not have the time to look around since they had been blindfolded when they landed, so this time they decided to take it all in and appreciate their surroundings. Kolorado was particularly ecstatic about the whole thing.

**Kolorado** : _Whoo! Everywhere I looked, I was reminded of my job. There were remnants of an __ancient civilization everywhere, you could see the fortifications that once stood tall but were now decrepit, and if you looked closely under the moss and the tall grass, you could catch glimpse of ancient sculptures. That's decided, once I'm home, I'm going to assemble a team to find out more about the Beanbean Kingdom's past._

"Wow, that's absolutely beautiful," Dixie smiled earnestly.

"I think it's too green," Boo complained bluntly, making some players laugh as he was always unsatisfied. "I'm thankful this season doesn't take place on Delfino Island... Not sure I would have fared well."

"You'd totally be eliminated first if it was," Waitress giggled. "This is a really nice place!"

The little group continued to march ahead, they seemed to follow a small river. Enguarde had to resist the urge to dive into the water which was pure and pristine.

"Look, it looks like a beach!" White Mage noticed cheerfully. "Oh, but I don't have my swimming suit with me..."

"We're almost there," Monty Mole announced to the others, looking at a humongous red, black and dull building. Quickening his pace, the host entered the structure, leaving behind him ten befuddled players.

Waitress made a face. "This house is totally disgusting!"

"This isn't a house, Waitress," Goombario informed her, looking at the board situated right before the building. "This is Woohoo Hooniversity."

"It's even worse!" Waitress pouted.

Boo ignored her and entered the university, prompting the others to follow him. Once they were all inside, they immediately found Monty Mole who beckoned to them. Curious, the contestants followed him to another room, where their eyes were attacked by a vivid purple.

"Oh my god, this university could use a revamp," Shokora grimaced, appalled.

Monty Mole nodded. "You are quite right, but Woohoo Hooniversity's purpose isn't to be a beautiful place, but rather a studious one. Numerous great personalities such as the prince of the Beanbean Kingdom graduated from this place. This is also where your next challenge will take place."

"We're all ears," Dixie smiled.

"This challenge will be called 'Lie Detector' and it's worth twenty thousand coins. As you all know, sometimes, students lie. They lie because they don't want to get caught cheating at an exam, they lie because they didn't do their homework, or they lie because they skipped a certain class and need to make up lies to justify their absence."

"That sounds like me alright," Bullet Bill laughed.

"One of you will be this lie detector, and they will have to listen to the other nine who will tell a story one after another. Once they have listened to one story, the lie detector will determine whether it is true or false. If the story tellers manage to fool the lie detector, two thousand coins will be added to your team pot. However, if the lie detector guesses correctly, no money is awarded. If the lie detector manages to guess correctly five times, they will earn an exemption."

**Boo** : _I didn't want the lie detector to win an exemption. I'm already enough handicapped as it is, the last thing I want is another person being given a free pass to the next episode._

Melody immediately got down to business. "So how does this work? Do we nominate the lie detector?"

"Funny that you'd ask that, Melody, because you've already elected your lie detector."

"Did we?" Kolorado thought aloud.

White Mage covered her mouth with her hand, flabbergasted. "You don't mean...?"

"Yes, I do. Shokora, since you were chosen by your fellow teammates to be the team leader, you will be eligible for this exemption."

**Shokora** : _I was so glad to be given a second chance. Selfish as it sounds, I was ready to sacrifice the team's money for this exemption. I should not have been penalized in the first place since I found a bag during the luggage challenge, so I thought it was only fair that I was given the opportunity to obtain a free pass to the next round._

**Melody** : _Thank you so much Enguarde, for screwing us up! This insufferable fool nominated Shokora and now we'll probably lose the challenge! I mean, she's a politician for crying out loud, she's probably used to lie all the time! It's only logical that she would be able to tell lies from truth._

Monty Mole scratched his chin. "I also need someone who will play for four thousand coins. I suggest you choose your best liar for this job," the host advised cleverly.

"Not me!" Bullet Bill waved his hands frantically before his face. "I'm not gonna be able to fool her."

"But you just said that you were lying all the time when you were going to school!" Goombario pointed out, not believing what he was hearing. Bullet Bill scratched the back of his head, visibly embarrassed.

"Well, yeah. Doesn't mean they believed my lies."

"Fine, I'll do it," Enguarde volunteered. No one objected.

"Okay! Shokora, if you'll follow me to the next room, we'll let them have five minutes to prepare their story. The purple-clad woman complied.

…

The host was looking at his watch while Shokora was seated behind a desk, patiently waiting for the first player to come. Opposite from her was a chair, which would be occupied by one of the contestant in soon time.

"Blanche, you may enter!" Monty Mole's voice boomed.

The pink-haired girl sat in front of Shokora, rehearsing her story in her head. "Okay... So one day, I decided to learn how to ride a Chocobo. I decided to ask my good friend, Noir, for advice. He took me to the nearest ranch there was and helped me get seated on the Chocobo. All was going well until he decided to prank me and cast a fire spell on the Chocobo's rear. The poor animal rolled on the floor and ran for the pond to extinguish the flames, but it completely forgot that I was on his back, so I was thrown into the air and plummeted to the ground, getting a huge bruise on my leg."

"Shokora, you may ask her one question if you wish to."

"That won't be necessary, I've already made my choice," Shokora refused kindly.

**Shokora** : _Blanche was lying. Let's just say that her dress reveals enough of her skin, and I have not seen a scar on her leg. Not to mention that Black Mages tend to be calm and respectful, they would never do anything to endanger anyone. It does not seem like something they would do._

Next was Dixie. The enthusiastic girl sat on the chair and began to give her story.

"Several years ago, King K. Rool kidnapped Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, so I decided to save them with the help of Kiddy Kong. But when we were in the jungle, Kiddy saved Rambi, a rhinoceros, from a wooden box and hopped on him, completely forgetting about me. Rambi began to charge and I almost go trampled under his feet but thankfully I managed to grab a vine and hoist myself out of harm's way."

"Dixie, who's Kiddy Kong?" Shokora wondered.

"Oh, he's my cousin," Dixie replied casually.

"Thank you."

**Shokora** : _It was hard for me to determine whether Dixie was lying or not, but in the end I decided that she was, it just made more sense to me. I don't think her cousin would charge her with a rhinoceros. At least I hope so..._

The next person to tell their story was Enguarde. The confident swordfish strode inside the room and sat in front of Shokora.

"One time, Expresso and I had a bet. He had bet me twenty bananas that I wouldn't be able to best the Kong family in a race. So I obviously decided to take him on the bet. I put on the, err...barrel thingy that they use during their races and I challenged them to a race that I won! But in the end, that coward of Expresso didn't want to face the facts and didn't reward me with the bananas, but at least I still won the competition!" Enguarde smiled broadly.

"Thank you for your time, Enguarde!" Shokora dismissed him politely.

**Shokora** : _Really Enguarde? 'I put on the _barrel thingy_?' When you lie, make it convincing, otherwise you won't fool anyone._

Next in line was Kolorado. The explorer was in deep thought as he took his seat.

"Well Shokora, I am an honorable man, and in view of the fact that you're in hot water because of me, I decided that I would tell you a true story. During one of my explorations, I went to LavaLava Island with Mario, and we were transported by a gigantic tuna! We traveled into the lush and luxurious jungle and were helped by ravens to reach the entrance of the volcano. Once inside, we traveled to its deepest level and Mario fought valiantly against a Lava Piranha. I bravely charged to damage the beast, however I, errr...unfortunately fell into the lava and was incapacitated for the rest of the fight. Once Mario beat it, the volcano suddenly erupted and a pink starfish helped us escape out of the volcano, but in doing so the ancient treasure was lost! Well, Mario found it later and gave it to me, but still! It could have been ruined or destroyed!" Kolorado started ranting.

"Thank you Kolorado, your help was appreciated," Shokora interrupted him.

**Shokora** : _I decided to trust Kolorado. It is a good thing that he warned me beforehand that he would tell the truth, otherwise I would have probably thought that he was lying. I mean, traveling on a tuna? Charging right into lava? A pink starfish helped him escape? I know he is no storyteller, but everything came out so confused that he clearly lost me. Hopefully, trusting him was the right choice._

The bubbly waitress of the Excess Express was next. She waved to Shokora before taking her place.

"Hi ya! So my story's about this time on the Excess Express. There was this weirdo called Doucheliss or something who wanted to create a bomb so that the train would go, like, kaboom!" Waitress waved her hands in the air to show how big of an explosion it would be. "But anyway, that Poopliss guy was some kind of shape-shifter and had taken the appearance of Zip Toad. And while he was under the disguise of Zip Toad, he told me that, like, he totally dug my earrings, so I gave them to him, not knowing that he wanted to use them to create his bomb. So I guess that makes me the accomplice of a terrorist?" she giggled.

Shokora was at a loss for words. "Hmm... Thank you, I suppose?"

**Shokora** : _Waitress is a trainwreck, no pun intended. I had no clue whether she was telling the truth or not, but in the end I decided that she was lying. I cannot justify my choice for I decided at random._

Goombario entered the room after Waitress. He looked serious and sure of himself as he sat down on his designated chair.

"My story is one of my trips to Rogueport with my little sister, Goombaria. Our parents had decided to go to the grocery to buy us sweets, but my sister and I wanted to explore the town. We unfortunately found ourselves lost in a dangerous territory and just when we thought things couldn't get any worse, a bandit threatened us with his long staff. My sister was petrified so I decided to protect her and inflict pain upon the crook. Long story short, he ran away crying."

"Thank you, Goombario."

**Shokora** : _Goombario looked honest when he told me his story, which is why I decided that he was telling the truth. I could be wrong and it could have been an act, but I'm quite sure that part of his story is actually true._

Bullet Bill grinned as he took his seat. He apparently had a plan.

"One time, me and my bros decided to have a fun time in Toadtown, or maybe it was at Koopa Village? Well, I don't remember the specifics, but yeah. Anyway, we ran into trouble when we decided to ride go-karts without renting them. The cops were everywhere trying to catch us, but in the end we managed to escape 'cause we're just awesome like that!"

Shokora tried to suppress a smile, to no avail. "Thank you Bullet Bill, but you really are a bad liar."

**Shokora** : _Bullet Bill tries to act tough, but one look at him and you can tell he is no bad guy. I think that he might have wanted to make up a story that would sound like the truth, but he really is a terrible liar._

The second-to-last person to enter the room was Melody. She floated to her seat confidently.

"My story dates back to 1916, a long time ago, when I was still alive. I attended a competition which purpose was to determine which piano player was the best. Obviously, I was quite sure of myself and thought it would be no problem to win the gold medal, after all, they don't call me a virtuoso for nothing. I won the competition hands down and that's it."

"May I ask you what kind of music you were playing?"

"Classical music."

**Shokora** : _I don't doubt Melody's abilities as a musician, but I know for a fact that her story was a lie, because I listen to classical music a lot during my spare time. And I know full well that there was no competition of the sort in 1916, which made my choice rather easy._

Finally, the last individual to enter the room was Boo. He sat down on his chair like the eight others before him.

"First of all Boo, I wanted to state that I believe I have enough good answers to obtain the exemption, so if you tell me this is a true story, I will say that it is false and conversely," the politician smiled.

"Okay then. I wanted to tell you about my best friend called Tubba Blubba and how I helped him stand up for himself, which was a true story, but I'm not sure I need to do it anymore," Boo cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, it still counts as a story," Monty Mole testified.

"Well, thank you for your time, Boo."

**Shokora** : _Since Boo told me it was a true story, I decided to claim that it was fake. No need to lose more money than necessary if I am confident that I already won the exemption, right?_

…

A minute or two after Boo had left the room, the host and the lie detector made their way to the rest of the players, it was time to announce the results of the challenge. Monty Mole and Shokora both had an ambiguous face, it was hard for the others to read them.

"I will now announce the results of this third mission," Monty Mole declared grandly. "Blanche was the first to pass the test. Shokora thought she had lied to her, but did she?"

White Mage sighed and shook her head at the same time. "Yes, I did lie."

**Blanche** : _I should have told the story about Cactuar, when he decided to hug me as a sign of __friendship._ _Being literally a natural cactus, he ended up hurting me, but not bad enough that it would leave a scar. _

"One point for Shokora, zero coin for the pot. Next was Dixie, I believe. Shokora claimed that she was lying as well. Dixie, what did you do?"

Dixie seemed surprised as she put her hand to her mouth. "I actually told a true story."

"Two thousand coins for the pot! After Dixie was Enguarde, Shokora thought that he was lying as well."

"Bummer," Enguarde said, a blank expression etched onto his face. "Yeah, she's right."

**Goombario** : _Why did we let him play for four thousand coins, again?_

"Shokora has scored two points. Anyway, after Kolorado had given his story, Shokora believed that it was true."

"Yup, that lass sure was correct!" Kolorado winked.

"Three points for Shokora! Waitress was next, and it was decided that she was lying, but was she really?"

"Huh? Like, I was totally saying the truth," Waitress eyed Shokora warily.

"And it's another two thousand coins to the team! After that, Shokora thought that Goombario was telling the truth. Were you, Goombario?"

"It was based on a true story but was a lie," responded the smart Goomba.

"It's currently a tie between the players and Shokora!" Monty Mole grinned. "Bullet Bill told his story and Shokora believed it was false."

"Well, told you guys I was a terrible liar," Bullet Bill shrugged.

**Melody** : _Are you stupid or what? If you don't know how to lie, just say the truth!_

"Shokora only needs one more correct prediction to win an exemption. She said that Melody was lying. If she was right, she will earn a free pass to the next episode."

"How did you know I was lying?" Melody asked in utter shock.

Shokora smiled slyly. "I love classical music, and I knew something did not add up to your story."

**Enguarde** : _Well, would you look at that? The perfectionist did something wrong after all! And it's not the first time that she's done suspicious things if I recall correctly._

"Finally, Shokora said that Boo was lying."

"Yeah, I was," Boo admitted sheepishly.

"What? But I told you I probably had enough good answers, why didn't you tell me it was a lie? I would have chosen the opposite!" Shokora exclaimed, confused. Boo did not answer.

**Boo** : _The reason I lied to her was because I thought she was tricking me. C'mon, it was for an exemption, I couldn't be sure she wasn't trying to one up me!_

Monty Mole raised his hand to silence the players. "Three players correctly fooled the lie detector, which means that six thousand coins have been added to the team pot!"

"I'm not sure I'm supposed to cheer or not," Dixie confessed. "It's pitiful compared to what we could have won."

"Oh well, I'll take them anytime!" Kolorado joked.

Monty Mole took out a green exemption card from his pocket. "And this is for you Shokora!" The princess accepted it happily.

Challenge's Results :

_Money Won_ : 2 000 x 3 = 6 000

_Team Pot_ : 18 000 coins.

"Our first execution is tonight," Monty Mole went on. "Thus, I advise you to study your notes and pick a suspect. Time is ticking."

…

The players had been given the afternoon to do whatever they wanted to do, their only instructions were to come back before 8PM at their hotel, where they would enjoy their last meal together. Everyone respected the rules and came back in time.

"Well players, I sure hope you've used your time wisely to reflect on the Mole's identity," the host told them.

"I sure did!" Enguarde beamed as he showed them he had written even more than before in his journal.

"Goodness, old bean! How do you keep on doing that?" Kolorado wondered, impressed with the swordfish's abilities.

Goombario chuckled. "Actually, it's not that hard once you get the gist of things. It may take you time to get accustomed to it, but once you know what to write inside your journal, it just comes flowing naturally."

"Who here thinks they will get eliminated first?" Monty asked. Dixie immediately raised her hand.

"I think it might be me. I'm at a huge disadvantage and I don't really know who could be the Mole... But I'll do my best!" Monty Mole turned his head to face Boo.

"Aren't you afraid to get sent home first?"

"No," was the Boo's only response.

"Well, anyway, I propose a toast," Monty Mole raised his glass of wine. "To the first victim of the Mole!"

"To the first victim of the Mole!" Everyone replied back. Monty Mole whispered something into Shokora's ear, but no one heard it over the ruckus.

…

After dinner, the players were called one by one to take the quiz. Shokora was the first to go.

1. At the beginning of the game, when did the Mole stepped off the bus?

-First

-Second

-Third

-Fourth

-Fifth

-Sixth

-Seventh

-Eighth

-Ninth

-Tenth

**Shokora** : _From the moment I've first talked to Boo to right about now, I had this mysterious feeling that he was the Mole. Everything he says or does is fishy, and he sabotaged a lot. Most of his actions would only make sense if he were the Mole._

2. During the 'Dodge Ball' challenge, was the Mole a team leader?

-Yes

-No

**Goombario** : _There was much controversy about Boo and Waitress during this challenge. Why would they play the money with a coin toss? It did not make any sense at all, and most of us pointed that out._

3. During the 'Dodge Ball' challenge, did the Mole's team win the competition?

-Yes

-No

**Boo** : _We lost this challenge because of Goombario. If he had decided to trust me, we would currently be twenty thousand coins richer, but the fact is that he didn't. It's okay not to trust me, but it's not okay to sabotage your own team._

**Dixie** : _I'm still looking at Blanche as a possible Mole. I mean, she was the one who won the first challenge. And in doing so, she made us lose twenty thousand coins as our team wasn't supposed to win._

4. During the 'Airport Mayhem' challenge, which bag did the Mole bring back?

-Blanche's

-Boo's

-Bullet's

-Dixie's

-Enguarde's

-Goombario's

-Kolorado's

-Melody's

-Shokora's

-Waitress'

-The Mole did not bring back any bag

**Bullet Bill** : _Kolorado's actions during this challenge were kinda suspicious. Did he really forget that we had a challenge? I'm not gonna lie to you, but it doesn't seem likely. I think he was just wasting time._

5. During the 'Lie Detector' challenge, did the Mole successfully manage to fool the lie detector?

-Yes

-No

-The Mole was the Lie Detector

**Kolorado** : _This game's so hard, but I'm loving it! I just hope an old chap like me will make it far, but I could very well go home tonight since I haven't got a clear clue as to who's the Mole. Bullet could be it, but the same can be said about the others._

6. During the 'Lie Detector' challenge, was the Lie Detector's answer to the Mole story true or false?

-True

-False

-The Mole was the Lie Detector

**Melody** : _Enguarde was the only guilty party for the loss of this challenge. One, he volunteered Shokora who had a minus two on the quiz, so of course she was going to try her hardest to win the exemption. Two, he also volunteered to play for four thousand coins, and what do you expect? He actually lost them! Enguarde does the strangest things, and I'm determined to find out if he's the Mole or just plain stupid._

7. What is the Mole's journal number?

-1

-2

-3

-4

-5

-6

-7

-8

-9

-10

**Enguarde** : _I remember the time when Blanche had to choose her journal. It took her a while to __decide, and her question to Boo had me raise an eyebrow. On the other hand, my prime target for this quiz is Melody. Her impulsive and wild side could come in handy for the Mole._

8. Who is the Mole's roommate?

-Waitress

-Enguarde

-Kolorado

-Goombario

-Dixie

-Boo

-Blanche

-Bullet

-Melody

-Shokora

**Blanche** : _Everyone is so suspicious that I have absolutely no idea who it could be. First I assumed that it was Dixie for she was particularly strong in the first challenge, but Melody was the one who told us we had to win and incidentally made us lose. Then you have Enguarde who's screwing up everything, and Shokora who looks honorable but didn't manage to find a bag and was the sole responsible for the loss of fourteen thousand coins. I'm weighting my options, but there's no clear choice._

9. What is the Mole's job?

-Archaeologist/Explorer

-Circus Performer

-Demolition Specialist

-Dojo Owner/Master

-Musician

-Oceanographer

-Politician

-Spy

-Waitress

-White Mage

**Waitress** : _I won an exemption and I'm totally safe for this episode! Like, isn't it great? For the Mole, I don't really know though. I've talked to Blanche on the plane and she made a lot of good points about almost everyone. I'm just gonna answer things about everyone, it's probably the smartest play._

10. Who is the Mole?

-Blanche

-Boo

-Bullet

-Dixie

-Enguarde

-Goombario

-Kolorado

-Melody

-Shokora

-Waitress

…

The hotel lobby had been decorated for the occasion. Beautiful wooden chairs with red cushions were disposed into two rows of five, the usual blue carpets had been replaced by red ones and multiple chandeliers had been lighted, to give a more mysterious atmosphere to the execution ceremony. One by one, the players entered the cozy room, noticing their ten bags lined up right next to the entrance. Monty Mole was already situated behind his desk, fingers intertwined and elbows resting on the piece of furniture. He had a grave expression as he watched the ten contestants sitting on their chairs.

"Greetings, everyone, and welcome to your first execution ceremony," Monty Mole saluted them from his chair. "You have all taken your first questionnaire, and your results are in. Like every classic execution you will face, I will enter your names one by one into my computer. If a green light is emitted after your name has been entered, this means that you are safe. However, if a red light illuminates the room after your name has been entered, it means that you have been executed and are the Mole's first victim."

Monty Mole scanned the players from his position and saw that most of them were anxious. After a short pause, he went on with his speech. "If you have an exemption, you will have to slide it in the designated slot. An exemption brings you safety, even if you were the lowest scorer, you will still live for another day in this game. Tonight, Waitress and Shokora are both exempted, which means that they can't be executed."

Both players nodded and looked at each other, very pleased.

"However, this is no classic execution. Shokora, if you will..." The purple-clad woman stood up from her chair and faced the other contestants.

"Because you elected me as your leader during the previous challenge, I had a special advantage for this execution," Shokora announced grandly, looking at the players.

"Please don't let her execute the people she doesn't like," Melody prayed silently.

"I hope we didn't make any mistake!" Kolorado wished.

"Before I took my questionnaire, Monty Mole had a talk with me. He told me that, if I wanted, I could bring us all to the next episode at the cost of five thousand coins," Shokora's face was unfathomable as she pronounced those words.

Monty Mole nodded slowly. "And you will see her decision as the execution ceremony progresses," he finished. "I will now call your names one by one. Shokora."

The standing player walked to the screen and slid her exemption card in it, knowing that a green light would soon come.

**S-H-O-K-O-R-A**

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

"Waitress."

The cute little Toadette winked at Shokora before going in front of the computer. As she used her exemption card, she was smiling from ear to ear.

**W-A-I-T-R-E-S-S**

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

"Does anyone want to go?" Monty Mole proposed to the players. Enguarde raised his hand tentatively in the air. "Enguarde it is."

The swordfish floated toward the screen, waiting for his results.

**E-N-G-U-A-R-D-E**

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

Enguarde celebrated lightly before realizing that others were still waiting for their results. After that, White Mage rose up from her seat and dusted her dress before making her way to the computer.

"Blanche."

**B-L-A-N-C-H-E**

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

Nobody volunteered next, so Monty Mole decided to call everyone randomly.

"Melody."

The musician floated calmly toward the computer, tempting a look in Shokora's direction.

**M-E-L-O-D-Y**

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

The blonde ghost smirked, happy to still be in the game.

"Boo."

Everyone was on the edge of their seat, holding their breath. Boo was one of the people with a disadvantage for the quiz.

**B-O-O**

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

The Boo closed his eyes momentarily, relieved to make it to the next round.

"Bullet."

The black missile kept his cool as he went quickly to the screen, hoping for a green light.

**B-U-L-L-E-T**

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

"Kolorado."

The old explorer was anxious as he made his way to the screen for only three remained. He looked back at Goombario and Dixie, two of his good friends on the show.

**K-O-L-O-R-A-D-O**

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

Kolorado put his hand to his chest as he sighed in relief, but looked crestfallen when he realized that Goombario and Dixie remained.

"Goombario."

The small but strong Goomba walked slowly to the screen, anticipating the worst.

**G-O-O-M-B-A-R-I-O**

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

Dixie was biting her nails when she saw that Goombario remained in the game.

"What did Shokora decide? Did she spare you? Or did she execute you? We will now see, Dixie."

Dixie almost made a silent prayer before standing in front of the screen.

**D-I-X-I-E**

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

Dixie was ecstatic as she received her green light and immediately ran to Shokora to hug her.

Monty Mole grinned as he saw the players rejoicing. "Why, how? In the end, I think you all know what happened. Thanks to Shokora's generosity, one of you has been saved from this execution. Of course, it comes at a cost of five thousand coins and a double elimination next episode, but at least everyone will be able to enjoy the Beanbean Kingdom a while longer, won't they?"

Clearing his throat, he added the following. "Tomorrow is a big day, I suggest that you have a good night of sleep."

* * *

_Whoo... Finally, it's done!_

_I realize that it is a pretty big chapter, but as I was writing inpiration kept coming and coming, and I unfortunately didn't know where to cut the chapter, there was never a good time. I tried to shorten it at the end, but maybe it would have been better if I hadn't described some useless scenes... Oh well, at least there'll be character developement for sure in this chapter ! ^^_

_I hope this twist surprised you and thank you again for reading, reviewing and answering to the polls, I truly appreciate it. ^^_

_Oh, and speaking about polls, I suppose now is a good time to ask you who you believe the Mole is. I'll try to hurry up for the next episode, but I don't promise anything since I have my internship coming up, lol !_

_See you next time !_


	6. Treachery Within Treachery

**Fredthemontymole** : Haha, I haven't really stuck to the truth for these stories, which is why Dixie told everyone about Rambi chasing her. :p It's kind of the same with Waitress, Doopliss actually stole the earrings from her in the game, and there she just gave them to him. And the Boo thing was a little reference. XD I love Franziska Von Karma, so maybe there's a bit of her in Melody, who knows? Perhaps the fact that Melody uses the word 'foolish' a lot makes you think she resembles Franziska? Thanks for the review!

**Kaiimi** : I'm glad you thought the end of this chapter was suspenseful, I aim to create suspense wherever I step! *shot* I love your suspect list, it's pretty unique but gives me an idea as to what type of Mole you think is in this story! Thank you for reviewing, as always, lol!

**PSULucky** : I know, sometimes a character seems like this, but once they're in the limelight they seem like that. It's weird how character development can switch things around, isn't it? Also, I always like reading about your suspicions. Yeah, I actually aim for that vision of Bullet, a strong yet unexperienced player who doesn't really know what he should do in the game. A clueless contestant, so to speak. Thank you for following this story.

**Moley** : I absolutely love referencing things I've read. :p But only when the stories I've read are finished... I think. It's weird how most people can't pronounce Enguarde's name, it's kinda like the French 'En garde !' which means 'Have at you!'. Why should the Mole be a female? Thanks for the review!

**AdmiralBobbery** : I'm glad you like the cast, because I like it too! It went through major changes, because players such as the likes of Gene Yuss, Cobrat, Lady Bow, Bowser and others were replaced until I finally settled for this cast, and I think it's pretty diverse! So you liking everyone tells me I've done my job well enough. Thanks for the review and good luck on your own Mole story as well!

**BoomShroom** : Hehe... Looks like I haven't updated soon, have I? *shot* Yup, I wanted to start the season with a big twist, and what's a bigger twist than a double execution? Plus, I feel it gives the reader more time to have an opinion on the players and gives much more room for character development, a thing that I'm rather fond of. Thank you for your review and great opinion on the characters!

**Supermariogirl** : I'm glad you like it and hopefully this next part will meet your expectations! Thanks for the support!

**KingBloo** : Haha, I don't mind 'late' reviews. After all, isn't this a 'late' update? *shot* I like how you have already a certain order set in mind for the eliminations, and I agree, Boo and Waitress make an interesting pair! And I laughed at the scene you depicted about Dixie and Kolorado. Thanks for the review!

**Ice Empoleon** : Thanks for your reviews on the prequel! I'm glad you enjoyed it and...congratulations on discovering who the Mole was! I wasn't able to tell you since the other story was over and I don't tend on talking to people in the reviews, but now you can see it! As always, I love your long walls of text, but it actually seems like this one was too long, the part about Waitress was cut, lol! Anyway, I suppose you've eliminated Boo from your list? Good luck in your investigation and thanks for your support!

* * *

Previously on The Mole, our ten players embarked on an airplane towards an unknown destination!

_"My, I could get used to this luxury," White Mage giggled, a faint glint of light in her eyes as she took her seat next to Waitress who absolutely wanted to be on the window side of the plane._

_"Same here!" Waitress laughed excitedly. "It's just, like, totally awesoooome!"_

On the plane, the players had to decide who, between the lot of them, would be their leader for the first episode...

_Melody raised her hand in the air almost immediately. "I can be the leader, I think I've proven myself so far."_

_Enguarde scoffed, a few seats behind her. "No, we're not choosing you, you're way too impulsive for my taste." Melody glared daggers at him._

...and after a heated debate, Shokora, the calm and strict politician was elected by her peers.

_"All in favor of Shokora, raise your hand!" the swordfish exclaimed joyously. Almost everyone showed their approval the moment he pronounced these words, with only Melody and Boo being reluctant. In the end, the both of them joined the group and raised their hand. _

The players also received their journals, books that would become their best friends in the days to come.

_"It's a journal!" Boo blurted out, attracting the attention of the others. Seeing their confusion, he developed. "These journals are used to jot down our suspicions, our information, our feelings... We can write everything we want in them, there are precious tools in this game."_

_"You are correct Boo, but then again it is no surprise that you of all people would recognize them. Each and everyone of you will be entrusted with a journal which number ranges from one to ten. I recommend using them to note the information you obtain, and to study what you write inside because it could become relevant during the quizzes." Monty Mole put it back where it belonged and pass the entire bag to the players who were sitting closest to him._

Taking the opportunity that was given to them, the contestants used their time wisely in the plane. They conversed with each other, took note of what had happened so far in their brand new journals, and some of them already bonded with each other.

_"Boo is my first and obvious choice," Shokora admitted, nodding to herself to further prove her point. "I do realize that he knows more about this game than any of us, but you also must understand that the Mole knows in advance what is going to happen. With that in mind, it is fairly sure that the Mole knew of the twist that happened during the first mission." _

_Melody pondered over Shokora's last statement. "But if you were a producer, would you really want to put the Mole under the spotlight at the very beginning of the game? I know I wouldn't," Melody continued, playing with a strand of her blonde hair. Shokora was surprised. _

**Goombario**_ : ____Kolorado's a really fun guy, he's telling us all of these great stories about mysteries and traps that he triggered during his explorations, and that's really fun! But I don't know if he realizes he's giving us all this valuable information and we're giving him nothing in return. Oh well!_

**Dixie** : _I figured the fastest way to gain their trust was to give them something first. Besides it doesn't really matter who I suspect now, because I could change my mind at any moment so it won't particularly help them._

Upon landing, they were blindfolded and taken to their next destination. There, Monty Mole allowed them to take off the pieces of cloth that were impending their sense, and they quickly realized where they would be staying at for the remainder of the game.

_"Hmm... Are you familiar with these surroundings, Kolorado?" the blonde monkey questioned._

_"Not at all, miss!" Kolorado replied. "However, a simple glance at the architecture of this town tells me that we're in Beanbean Castle Town," pursued the archaeologist. "Don't you see all those indentations that look like beans?"_

_Monty Mole cleared his throat, which silenced the players immediately. "Contestants, I welcome you all to the Beanbean Kingdom where the rest of your journey will unfold." _

The next morning, Monty Mole led them to Woohoo Hooniversity where their third challenge was supposed to take place. Shokora, being elected as the leader, obtained the opportunity to win an exemption for herself.

_"This challenge will be called 'Lie Detector' and it's worth twenty thousand coins. As you all know, sometimes, students lie. They lie because they don't want to get caught cheating at an exam, they lie because they didn't do their homework, or they lie because they skipped a certain class and need to make up lies to justify their absence."_

_"That sounds like me alright," Bullet Bill laughed._

_"One of you will be this lie detector, and they will have to listen to the other nine who will tell a story one after another. Once they have listened to one story, the lie detector will determine whether it is true or false. If the story tellers manage to fool the lie detector, two thousand coins will be added to your team pot. However, if the lie detector guesses correctly, no money is awarded. If the lie detector manages to guess correctly five times, they will earn an exemption."_

In the end, most of the players failed to mislead Shokora, and the team only earned six thousand coins, while Shokora earned a well-deserved exemption.

_Monty Mole raised his hand to silence the players. "Three players correctly fooled the lie detector, which means that six thousand coins have been added to the team pot!"_

_"I'm not sure I'm supposed to cheer or not," Dixie confessed. "It's pitiful compared to what we could have won."_

_"Oh well, I'll take them anytime!" Kolorado joked._

_Monty Mole took out a green exemption card from his pocket. "And this is for you Shokora!" The princess accepted it happily._

As the first execution was drawing near, the participants all took their first questionnaire about the Mole, most of them having their own suspicions. However, one last twist shook the game that night...

_"Before I took my questionnaire, Monty Mole had a talk with me. He told me that, if I wanted, I could bring us all to the next episode at the cost of five thousand coins," Shokora's face was unfathomable as she pronounced those words. _

As the number of players who received a green light waxed, the hopes of the remaining contestants waned...

_Kolorado put his hand to his chest as he sighed in relief, but looked crestfallen when he realized that Goombario and Dixie remained. _

_The small but strong Goomba walked slowly to the screen, anticipating the worst. _

...until finally, only Dixie remained.

_"What did Shokora decide? Did she spare you? Or did she execute you? We will now see, Dixie." _

However, all ended well when it was revealed that Shokora had taken Monty Mole's offer, bringing everyone with her to the next round. What will happen next?

**First name : Dixie**

Surname : Kong

Birthday : June 7

Job : Circus Performer

**First name : Waitress**

Surname : Serva

Birthday : July 4

Job : Waitress

**First name : Bullet**

Surname : Bill

Birthday : February 25

Job : Demolition Specialist

**First name : Boo**

Surname : Fanto

Birthday : October 31

Job : Spy

**First name : Shokora**

Surname : Enekora

Birthday : May 19

Job : Politician

**First name : Melody**

Surname : Pianissimo

Birthday : March 13

Job : Musician

**First name : Blanche**

Surname : Magus

Birthday : April 22

Job : White Mage

**First name : Kolorado**

Surname : Raiver

Birthday : January 19

Job : Archaeologist/Explorer

**First name : Enguarde**

Surname : Espadon

Birthday : December 8

Job : Oceanographer

**First name : Goombario**

Surname : Goomarroon

Birthday : September 16

Job : Dojo Owner/Master

_Who is the Mole? As the game continues its natural course, the ten players can only wonder as the mysterious individual slips through their fingers, times and times again. With the challenges becoming increasingly more difficult, twists awaiting them at every turn and a double elimination coming up, they better start using their brainpower to figure out the answer to this simple yet tricky question._

6 : Treachery Within Treachery

**Dixie** : _You have no idea how _relieved_ I was to still be in the game – and I still am. At first, I just thought that Monty Mole wanted to be dramatic because many names were called, but when your name hasn't been said yet and you are one of the three remaining players who hasn't received a green light... You think it's going to be you, and that you're the Mole's first victim. When both Kolorado and Goombario were told that they could proceed to the next episode, my heart just sank. Thankfully, Shokora saved my hide, I owe her one._

**Boo** : _I know I should be happy to still be in the game, and truthfully, I am. But Shokora's decision last night had me raise an eyebrow – even two. Above all, this game is a competition, you're not here to make friends, you're here to win. Trust me, I'm not saying that you shouldn't speak to people, but what she did made no sense at all. She was exempted, so why would she want to spare everyone else? If someone was executed, she would have had one less person to compete with. The only logical explanation for her choice would be that she is the Mole and used her advantage to waste five thousand coins more. And that frightens me... _

**Blanche** : _Dixie was really happy to still be in the game, but I don't know if she realizes that Shokora may not have saved her. Make no mistake, someone was spared last night, but there is no way to know if Dixie was supposed to go home. Her rather intense reaction makes me think that perhaps she is a genuine player._

**Kolorado** : _Boy, this game isn't easy! My head keeps on spinning around as I study every possibility! Archeology is about mystery, but The Mole is an even bigger enigma than Dry Dry Ruins! Well, I don't care if I have to torture myself to get to the bottom of this, I will uncover who the Mole is!_

**Waitress** : _Like, last night's twist rendered my exemption totally useless. I mean, I knew I was totally safe and couldn't leave, but that kinda, like, defeated the purpose of the exemption. On the __bright side, I'm still in this game and I still have the chance to win it all, so yay for me!_

**Bullet Bill** : _I'm glad Shokora made this choice, 'cause leaving first's always a bummer! Dixie sure thinks the same way, but I'm thinking she probably overreacted a little. She seemed kinda fake, so yeah, I'm not dismissing her as a suspect. Plus Enguarde told me that it wasn't sure she was gonna go home anyway, which made me confused but made more sense as he explained how the executions worked._

**Shokora** : _Yesterday, Monty Mole talked to me at dinner. He told me to take the questionnaire first, which is exactly what I did. When we were on our way to the room where I was to take my first quiz, he told me that as the leader of the group, I could take everyone with me to the next episode. You see, even though I was exempted and did not have to worry about my personal safety, I thought about what had happened during this episode, and how downhearted I had been when I was informed that I would suffer an unfair penalty during the quiz. So I thought about Dixie and Boo and realized that one of the two would most likely leave the game should I have not agreed to Monty's deal, and since Boo was my main suspect and could have been the Mole in my mind, that meant that refusing this offer would send Dixie home. I didn't want that to happen, she deserved to stay longer in my opinion, so I accepted Monty's terms._

**Goombario** : _I'm so glad everyone's still in this to compete. It would have sucked to be the first to go, so now everyone has more time to study the other competitors, which is really great but... In my heart, I can't help but thing about the double elimination. Should an exemption be obtainable in one of our missions, I'll grab it. No doubt about that._

**Melody** : _You may think that nothing changed after last night, that everyone still has the same suspects and you couldn't be more wrong. Everything constantly changes in this game, the minute you stop thinking is the minute you will walk out of that hotel's door. Last episode, I wasn't really concerned about my position in this game, but now that we know that two of us will be leaving at the end of this episode, we're all afraid it's going to be us. With the Mole being untouchable, that makes our odds of surviving this execution seven to two._

**Enguarde** : _There were a lot of suspicious things last episode, and I think everyone picked on a few of them. I was hoping that one of my suspects would be executed but my wish never came true, which is quite inconvenient. Though executions are saddening, they're a source of information and understanding. At least I see them like this. If, at one point of the adventure I leave the game, then I'd like it to be useful for someone. Everyone watching this is probably thinking that I'm crazy or stupid at this point._

…

Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated from a good night sleep, the players all reconvened that day in the lobby, and then walked together to the dining area. The mental and physical strains they had all been victim of after the first few missions had disappeared, and they were ready to start playing again. There was a strange atmosphere of awareness in the room, as the players chatted happily about various topics and subjects unrelated to the Mole : they all knew that they would live together for the next few weeks and tried to gain the others' confidence, but at the same time they could not help but distrust the other individuals in the room. One of them was a traitor.

**Boo** : _Unnerving, it's how I would describe this game, personally. I love it, but the fact that you don't know who's real and who's fake kinda puts a damper on things. I'd love to be able to trust someone, however, it's a privilege that you don't have in this game._

"You know, yesterday I thought I was done for!" Dixie confessed with a laugh, reminding them of the events that took place a few hours ago. "One instant, you're thinking 'Oh my god, I'm going home, this sucks!' and the other, you're like 'I can't believe I'm still in this thing, go me!'" Her last statement provoked a fit of laughter among her companions.

"Yeah. I gotta say it was a nice surprise," Bullet Bill conceded as he brought his glass of water to his lips. "Hey man," he said to Boo, "do you think we're gonna have other surprises like this one?"

Boo stammered a little as everyone turned their attention to him. "W-well... I... Let me think for a few seconds," he demanded, finally regaining his composure. "This is the Mole, right? I think we should always be wary of what's happening... Last season, there was a fake execution, but the answers of its quiz still counted in the end, and there was also a competitor that was bribed to leave the game."

**Enguarde** : _For someone that was reluctant to give us even the name of last season's Mole, Boo's tongue gradually loosened. Honestly, I found that a bit weird coming from him, and I think he might have revised his initial strategy._

Goombario smiled as he ate his piece of bacon. "The game itself is one big surprise."

"Thank goodness it is!" Kolorado exclaimed, playing with his mustache. "I signed up for an adventure and the grandest of all mysteries!" Goombario shoved him in the shoulder playfully.

"Of course you did, you Mole," Goombario chuckled. At the other end of the table, Shokora looked toward the two of them, her head resting on her intertwined fingers.

**Shokora** : _Goombario is a great suspect of mine, because of the way he acted during the first challenge. I firmly believe the Mole would want to appear genuine by mistrusting another player and then blaming the loss of the challenge on them, which is exactly what he did. On the other hand, you have Kolorado... Our favorite archaeologist didn't do much during the first challenge, he brought back a bag during the second challenge but he never actually found one and although I am grateful for his actions during the third challenge, it simply can't be denied that it was the perfect sabotage._

"What kind of challenges await us in the future? I wonder," Melody trailed off, looking in direction of the window and realizing that the streets of Beanbean Castle Town were already bursting with life.

"Same here," Enguarde could not help but agree with his rival. "I mean, so far our challenges were pretty diverse and eventful." Boo nodded.

"But I guess we can all brace for several returning challenges," Boo pointed out as everyone stared at him, expecting more from the ghost. "Hmm, what I meant was that the producers are probably going to reuse some concepts, not that the challenges will be similar," he went on. "So you see, I'm not at an advantage," Boo added quickly. Waitress and White Mage glanced at each other, a look of understanding in their eyes.

"You know what I'm thinking, right?" questioned White Mage who was currently wearing one of Shokora's ensembles. Because there had been no elimination the previous day, Monty Mole told her that she could not have get her luggage back, as it was in direct contradiction with the rules.

"Like, totally, this is sooo strange," Waitress agreed as she looked at her plate. "Why are there, like, beans everywhere in their dishes? It's totally gross!" White Mage observed the purple-haired Toadette with a look of extreme puzzlement on her face.

Finally, she regained her composure and let out another sentence. "Somehow, I don't think we were talking about the same thing." Waitress seemed shocked.

"You mean you like beans and stuff like that?" she inquired, her hand over her mouth. "If you wanna have my portion, help yourself!" beamed the cute girl. White Mage shook her head, a small smile adorning her lips.

**Blanche** : _Actually, I was pointing how weird it was for Boo to act this way, denying that he is the Mole and everything, but Waitress...is a little...how should I put it...? Is there even a word to describe her personality? I don't think so. But she's so lovable that you can't help but laugh at her antics, meaning that she could be a deadly Mole if her behavior is a complete act._

"You know what is interesting and quite funny?" Shokora smiled elegantly. "You two haven't butted head yet," Shokora pointed out as everyone realized that it was true.

Melody crossed her arms. "Well, I know how to behave, thank you very much. And I don't hate him, I just don't like his cocky attitude and how he's taking charge and making us lose tons of money," Melody explained, tempting a glance at the blue swordfish.

**Melody** : _I'm not mad at Enguarde because of who he is, what are these people thinking? I'm only mad at him because he's making us lose! But since he's my current Mole, I suppose I will have to bear with him._

Enguarge shrugged. "Yeah, I admit that I _may_ be a little overconfident," he admitted halfheartedly. "But c'mon, you're pretty bossy yourself and vocal about what you want." Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Boo began writing in his journal.

**Boo** : _Last season, Jojora was a genuine player that acted like a total bitch – excuse me but that's the honest truth – so that people would focus their attention on her and get eliminated from the game. But in doing so, she fragmented the group, giving the Mole more opportunities to sabotage. It's relevant to our current situation because the Mole always loves conflict, so maybe this season's Mole is actually the one bringing conflict around._

As Melody opened her mouth, as if to oppose what Enguarde had just claimed, Monty Mole barged into the room in his usual fashion, scaring a few of them. Dixie was so surprised that she spat her drink on the person sitting next to her, who was none other than Bullet Bill.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," Dixie apologized profusely. "I hope you'll forgive me, I didn't mean to." Bullet Bill was slightly annoyed but let it go.

"It's Monty's fault. Always blame the host," Bullet declared with assurance. He then proceeded to glare daggers at the host.

**Bullet** : _I'll get you for this, Monty!_

"Greetings, contestants!" Monty Mole yelled animatedly as he reached the players. "I trust that you all had a good night of sleep?"

"Of course," Shokora replied instantly."What about you?"

"I can't say the same," Monty answered, his face darkening, which did not go unnoticed by a large majority of the players. "I had...troubling matters to attend to, to say the least." Everyone could not help but stare at him, as if urging him to go on and explain what had occurred.

After a short pause, he spoke again. "First and foremost, I wanted to congratulate you all on reaching the second episode, you can all thank miss Enekora for her kind gesture. However, it made you five thousand coins poorer."

Challenge's Results :

_Money Won_ : - 5 000

_Team Pot_ : 13 000 coins.

"Oh well, I think we're all grateful to be here," Goombario commented, not really caring about the money loss.

Monty nodded. "This leads me to the second announcement, which, unfortunately, won't please you one bit."

"What happened?" White Mage questioned, a serious tone in her voice. Everyone was concerned about the announcement, even Waitress who did not pay much attention to what was around her usually.

"We have proof that someone cheated and looked at confidential documents hidden within the producers' room," Monty Mole accused. "Because there was a power failure last night, the cameras hidden everywhere inside the hotel did not capture the culprit's face. We would appreciate it if the culprit would please step up and admit to their crime."

A wave of protests soon erupted in the small group, the contestants were all riled up at the thought of someone disrespecting the rules and probably putting the whole game in jeopardy.

"Someone cheated?" Bullet Bill winced. "They better speak up 'cause I won't let them get away with it."

"I don't want to play with a cheater," Boo seethed with rage, his voice contrasting eerily with his true emotions.

Monty Mole raised his hands in the air, silencing everyone. "As of now, this game is in standby. You are not allowed to leave this hotel. Do note that should the culprit not step up to their crime, we will investigate the case with the help of professionals, as such infraction of the rules is considered a breach in contract. If the guilty party comes to my room and tells me that they did it, we will not bring this case to court and we won't expect any payment of damages, but instead we will make sure the individual does not leak any detail concerning their findings and they will have to be evicted from the game. I hope that I was clear..."

Once he finished his announcement, Monty Mole left the room, leaving ten suspicious players scrutinizing the every moves of their opponents. They were hoping to unmask the traitor amongst them.

"Do you old chaps believe that it might be some sort of joke, per chance?" Kolorado finally tempted, trying to break the ice between the contestants. The tension was palpable in the room as no one dared to answer him.

White Mage opened her mouth after a while. "I...don't think so. Monty Mole was very convincing, I doubt it could have been an act."

"So, like, who did it?" Waitress asked without thinking, stirring up a hornet's nest unintentionally. "You might wanna confess now that Monty's disposed to let you off the hook rather easily, because I sure won't."

"Why would I do that?" White Mage answered her. "There's no purpose to cheat in such a game, at least to me. Maybe one of you begs to differ, though."

Bullet Bill crossed his arms, ticked off. "I hope the dumbass gets punished for what they've done."

Dixie seemed at a loss. "But who could it be?" No one had an answer for her.

"I suggest we all wait calmly and hope for the best," Shokora advised. "There is no need to turn on each other or to be aggressive, as we have no proof. Waiting is simply the best course of action, as even if the culprit does not confess, specialists will come and perform their duty which will point them to the 'criminal', if I may call them that way," the politician explained thoroughly.

Boo grunted slightly. "Whatever you say, I hope they hurry up."

"Should we investigate?" Goombario wondered aloud, glancing at the others.

"No," Enguarde responded immediately. "It's not our job, plus there's no way they're going to allow us to wander around the producers' room if they want to keep the scene intact. Who knows, the culprit could erase some proofs and it would mess up the investigation."

Melody had been silent for a moment. "I think I am going to go back to my room, there's no point in staying in here any longer and we can't leave the hotel. If someone needs me, you know where I am."

The blonde ghost left the group, and soon, everyone scattered inside the hotel.

…

While most players were pondering over the identity of the mysterious cheater, others used their time wisely, envisioning their future in the game. White Mage was going to the lobby to read a newspaper that was provided by the hotel when Waitress appeared in her field of vision.

The petite Toadette skipped happily in direction of White Mage, waving to her at the same time. "Hi Blanche, do you think you could spare me a minute?"

"Sure, I don't see why not," White Mage smiled as she put down her paper and waited for her friend to take a seat besides her.

The bubbly waitress grinned excitedly as she sat down. "Yay, I'm so glad you agreed, that's awesome!" she cheered, her smile as wide as a mile. "So, I wanted to ask you something that's, like, really really really important!"

Now White Mage was interested, her curiosity getting the best of her. "Something important?" she laughed. "I'm interested, what is it?"

"I just realized something last night, when I was in bed. During the first mission, we were all together, so it was kinda easy to see who was doing what. But like, in the second and third challenge we were separated."

"Well, yes, all players cannot be involved in the same way in all the missions, it would be slightly difficult to accomplish, wouldn't you say so?" White Mage told her, wondering the true purpose of the discussion.

Waitress nodded vigorously at this. "See, that's totally it! Sometimes, people will do suspicious things and you'll be like, ignorant about what they did simply 'cause they weren't in the same group as you, and then you're gonna get executed because you won't be able to answer to some questions. And it would suck, right?"

"Oh, I think I know where you're going with this train of thought," Blanche was hit with realization.

"Basically, I kinda want to form some sort of pact with you, 'cause you're like the one I trust the most in this game," Waitress concluded. "It would be sooo cool if you accepted this offer. And like, it's not like you've got much to lose, is it?"

**Blanche** : _What I feared the most came true, Waitress did ask me for a coalition. And as you may recall from one of my previous confessionals, I...do not particularly want to associate with her, because she seems to be one of the least knowledgeable people of the show, no offense meant. But at the same time, it's not like I have much to lose since I haven't been able to strike a deal with Shokora so far, so I opted for a compromise._

White Mage seemed lost in thought as she stared vacantly at the unoccupied chair before her. Finally, she gave her answer to the waitress of the Excess Express. "Waitress, it's not that I don't like you, but I sincerely don't think an alliance is going to work at this stage of the game. There has been no elimination yet and I don't know if I can trust you, so I'd rather wait until I make any commitment. Let's say that if we both survive this episode, I'll consider your offer.

"Oh, c'mon Blanche, it's gonna be fun!" Waitress pouted. But White Mage was unwavering in her stance. "Okay, fine," she conceded defeat. "But at least promise me that you're gonna accept if we pass this episode."

"That I can do," White Mage assured, shaking Waitress' hand as if to seal their secret pact.

"Awesome!" Waitress squealed in delight.

**Waitress** : _I'm sooo happy! Not only did I score an alliance, but I scored an alliance with one of the smartest players of the show, so yay me!_

…

Everyone had left the lunch area after Monty's announcement. However, a certain archaeologist only feigned to leave the room in order not to attract too much suspicion to himself. The one and only Kolorado observed his surroundings with great attention, his eyes darting left and right. When he assumed the coast was clear, the explorer made his way to the table where the plates they had used earlier to eat were situated and sat at his own chair.

"Hoho, now that's a great time to hunt that paper!" Kolorado exclaimed gleefully before slapping himself. "No! I shouldn't attract attention to this room!"

**Kolorado** : _As I was starting to eat, I realized that there was some kind of weird crumpled paper on the table. At first I didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that it wasn't important... But my sharpened senses told me that there was something mysterious about it, and I was right!_

Kolorado tried to recall where the paper was located, closing his eyes to concentrate. Suddenly, his eyes fluttered open and he grabbed the crumpled note. Excited, the oldest player in the game immediately unfolded it and read it.

_Dear players,_

_I won't tell no white lie,_

_you are all very lucky._

_Yesterday, one was supposed to die,_

_unfortunately it couldn't be._

_This time, there will be no escape,_

_your place is in the balance of life._

_Two of you will suffer the same fate as the ape,_

_I certainly hope it won't be your last strife._

_Observe carefully life's yin and yang,_

_unless you want to go with a bang!_

_The Mole_

The confused explorer seemed lost in thought after he read the note, but a sudden noise snapped him out of his reverie. Kolorado hid the paper in his shell as fast as he could and pretended to eat a piece of bread. A few seconds after he put the bread to his mouth, a familiar person with a banana-shaped ponytail entered the room, looking for someone.

"Kolorado!" shouted the simian figure. "Do you know where Goombario is? I wanted to ask him something."

Kolorado scratched his chin. "Well, the lad sure couldn't have left the hotel, now, could he? He probably is sleeping in his room."

"Thanks!"

Kolorado watched her leave the room and turned his attention to the Mole's note.

"This is so mysterious!" he whispered excitedly, before pausing a second. "But... Is it really a clue?"

**Kolorado** : _When I signed up for this show, I decided to study it a little beforehand, or rather, I studied the contract. I was given the rules and studied them thoroughly, and guess what? There are clues in this game, but also red herrings. This note could have been one of the two things...or it could have been a simple message, with no meaning._

Kolorado shrugged to himself and returned to his room in order to put the message in his journal.

…

A single player made their way to Monty Mole's room a little hesitantly. They knew what they had done and decided it was the best option for them. Looking up from their position, they tried to move swiftly and made almost no noise as they reached the door they were looking for. Bracing themselves for what was to come, the individual knocked on the door and pushed it open effortlessly. Before them was Monty Mole.

"Mmmh? What business do you have here?" inquired the smart host, a grave expression etched onto his face. The player nodded to themselves, mustering their courage.

"It's about the incident, you know? I was the one who entered the producers' room and looked at their documents, to know more about the game," admitted the guilty party.

Monty Mole furrowed his brow, looking the player up and down. "You are aware that such acts are not tolerated here, and that they are reprehensible, right? I also did mention that the one who cheated would be expelled from the game immediately, you do understand the consequences?"

"Well, yeah. I'm aware of this but I figured I might as well admit it," explained the curious character.

Monty Mole ordered a stack of papers and proceeded to rise from his position. "Very well then, you will go immediately. There is no saying goodbye to the others." An expression of fear crossed the face of the cheater as Monty pronounced these words. They gulped uneasily.

"Yes..."

…

Monty Mole and the nine remaining players had just got out from the hotel. The small group walked at a fast pace toward Beanbean Castle, taking in the wondrous sights of the capital. It seemed like the grass was exceptionally greener there than in the Mushroom Kingdom, and the strong glare of the sun accentuated this difference as most of the players had to shield their eyes in pain. A white castle soon appeared before their eyes, but Monty Mole took a sharp right and some players sighed in disappointment, having thought that they would be able to enter the majestic building.

"Hey, I just realized," Bullet Bill started, looking at the others. "Where's Boo? Did he have some special task we weren't aware of?" His question was answered by silence as Monty Mole did not take the time to respond.

"Yeah, that's weird," Melody concurred, casting a glance at her competition. "I haven't seen him since lunch actually."

**Dixie** : _We were all wondering where Boo was, because none of us had seen him for a while. No one __knew anything, so we were worried._

Finally, Monty Mole stopped before a green van, camouflaged behind a large and dark green bush. Turning toward the players, he gave them one of his broad smiles. "Well everyone, I'm happy to tell you that episode two has officially begun!" Monty Mole clapped his hands together.

Most of the players cheered, but one of them had a skeptical look on their face. "Do you happen to know where Boo went?" Shokora asked, her facial expression displaying puzzlement.

Monty Mole nodded his head slightly. "Boo is gone. He was the cheater." Surprised and shocked were the words that correctly described the players' current state of mind.

Waitress yelped a little. "Are you, like, serious?"

White Mage expressed her indignation as well. "And to say he was so prompt to criticize the cheater... For that reason alone, I would have never guessed he was the culprit... I guess this illustrates perfectly the game though : no one is to be trusted."

**Goombario** : _I was speechless. Boo, eliminated? He was my Mole choice! With him out of the way, I decided to be more alert than ever. Had he stayed, I would have probably been eliminated at the end of the episode._

The host waited a few seconds to let the players regain their composure and snapped his fingers, redirecting their attention to him. "With that out of the way, I would like to tell you about the first mission of episode two," Monty Mole grinned.

"We're all ears!" Enguarde exclaimed, cupping his fins over his hearing organs.

Monty Mole rubbed his hands in anticipation, his smile getting larger and larger. "This mission is worth fifty thousand coins, and I like to call it 'Kidnapping'," Monty Mole announced as the others seemed incredulous.

"Boy, it's a strange name for a challenge, wouldn't you say, old chap?" Kolorado questioned with uneasiness.

"But it is also very straightforward," Monty Mole pointed out rapidly, "for your next mission is to capture the prince of the Beanbean Kingdom." His sentence provoked an uproar in the ranks of the players.

"Abducting a celebrity? What kind of twisted game is that?" White Mage was shocked beyond belief.

"It doesn't feel right at all," Dixie agreed, confused and sad at the same time. "I don't want to get sent to prison just for a simple game. I won't participate." A few players backed her up and opposed the game, when Monty Mole silenced them with his raised hand.

"Let me finish please. Your goal is to kidnap the prince, but he already knows about your future incursion inside the castle and knows that you mean no harm to him at all. Most of the castle's security will be disabled for the night, but not everything will be. And I'll have you know that Prince Peasley is an accomplished swordsman, in case you still worry for his safety. So really, you have nothing to fear."

"Err, I'm not sure," Goombario admitted calmly. "In the end we're still kidnapping someone. A prince, no less."

"I have ties to Peasley, he was a player during the second season, which is how I was able to contact him and get his approval for this challenge. Also, you won't exactly be kidnapping him, he will follow you on his own accord. Actually, your job is more that of a guide, you have to escort the prince out of the castle without being noticed by the guards," Monty Mole explained.

"Now, that's more like it," Melody nodded in approval. "But I think we'll all prefer to have more details."

"Of course," Monty replied. "First of all, let me tell you that you will have time to prepare this little operation. You will be provided with blueprints of the castle, the times at which the guards take their shift, photographs of the interior of the castle and other things to leave you the opportunity to hatch a decent plan."

"Alright, it sounds much more interesting already!" Dixie summed up everyone's feelings. Waitress gave her a high-five.

"It's gonna be fun!"

"This challenge is worth fifty thousand coins. If by the time the prince reaches the van, none of you has been caught by the guards, you will earn these coins. However, for each caught person, there is a penalty of five thousand coins. So if only five of you manage to escape the castle with the prince, you will earn thirty thousand coins for this challenge. This is why you can't afford to use decoys and must proceed with care!" Monty Mole informed them.

Shokora looked pensive. "Will the guards hurt us? Surely, they won't take kindly to our offense."

"About that matter, don't worry. The guards here have been instructed to never inflict harm upon unarmed people. So if they catch you, follow them wherever they take you," the host eased the politician's concerns.

"Do we wanna hurry?" Bullet Bill wondered. "I mean, as in we've got a timer on our hands or something?"

"Well, yes. You only have until two in the morning to lead your operation," Monty Mole replied. "This van will serve as your headquarters, there is everything you need inside, and probably more. Obviously, since we still want to give the impression that you are kidnapping Peasley, none of the cameramen will follow you inside, but you will wear a special headgear doubling as a little camera so that we'll be able to monitor you all. Is there any question?"

"Not particularly," Kolorado answered for everyone after he had cast a brief glance at his companions.

"In that case, good luck!" Monty Mole told them as he departed from the scene. The players remained silent until Shokora made a valid point.

"It's a shame Boo cheated. We could have used his background as a spy to elaborate a strategy,"she deplored, shaking her head from left to right.

"Well, no use crying over spilled milk, let's head inside," Enguarde urged the group as he led them inside the van, smiling from ear to ear at the prospect of another challenge.

…

Monty Mole hid in luxuriant bushes, waiting for the players to get inside the van to resume his own affair. After Enguarde took charge and everyone disappeared from the scene, Monty Mole waddled his way back to the main bridge leading to Beanbean Castle, where someone was patiently waiting for him, seating on a small bench.

"Hello there!" Monty greeted cheerfully, waving as he made his way to the calm and collected individual. They looked at him with a shy smile and awaited his arrival. "So, maybe I should explain things to you, shouldn't I?"

The individual chuckled, raising from his spot. "Sincerely, I had an inkling everything wasn't as it seemed," responded the mysterious person, standing in the shadow of a tree.

"I assumed so," Monty shrugged. "After all, if you didn't know it was fake, you would have never given your place for a cheater... Right, Boo?" the host asked slyly, winking at the ghost.

Boo grinned ever so slightly, a glint of light in his eyes as he pronounced his next sentence. "Of course. I love this game, and I would have never ever wanted to leave on such a bad note," the spherical white being confirmed Monty's thoughts.

The host motioned for Boo to follow him as he walked along the clear waters, apparently going to the left of the castle where a certain blonde prince was whistling a tune to himself, reminiscent of the Beanbean Kingdom's royal anthem.

Boo's mouth dropped to the floor in surprise as he saw the veteran. "P-prince Peasley?" he stuttered before coming to his senses and bowing before the regal individual.

Prince Peasley ran his hands through his air and flashed a smile at the ghost who was blinded for a few seconds. "No need for such formalities," the prince laughed, seeing the player's bewildered expression. "Would it be much of a stretch to assume that you are Boo, a player in the current edition of the Mole?" inquired the beanish citizen.

"Err, no," Boo answered quietly, blushing a little. Monty then shook Peasley's hand and greeted him casually.

"It's great to see you again, good old Peasley!" smiled the host. "I can't thank you enough for allowing this challenge to take place, in your castle, no less!"

The blonde prince waggled a finger, a smile lingering on his lips. "The pleasure is all mine, Monty! Besides, it is an honor to be a guest for this fourth mission, I have been anticipating the moment I could play again in one of your games," he said honestly, a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Very well then!" Monty declared grandly, looking at the two persons in front of him. "Boo. Currently, the others think that you no longer play the game because you cheated, which isn't true. As you might have guessed, no one did anything wrong, and it was just a twist we implemented in the game."

Boo nodded his head, a confident look on his face. "I knew it, it just seemed so convenient that you didn't know who did that."

"Additionally, the twist would only take place if the leader during episode one decided to give everyone one more chance to play the game, so that the missions wouldn't have to be scrapped depending on the outcome of episode one."

"It makes a lot of sense," Peasley approved, his eyes fixated on the mole that was his host during the second season. "After all, there is a limit as to what you can and cannot do in this game, as a producer."

"During this episode, you will be sequestrated from the other players, so to speak. Well, maybe 'sequestrated' isn't the correct word for your actions will have an effect on their performance during the challenges, but you will not be able to interact with them in any way or shape, and you will have to be as discreet as possible. They can't know that you're still in the game, am I clear about that?" the host explicated with a serious tone of voice, indicating that he was not kidding.

Boo looked stoical as he nodded his head. "Discretion is my specialty, I'll do my best."

"Currently, the players are hatching a plan to kidnap prince Peasley in his own castle and bring him back to their van which is just a little ways behind us," Monty Mole indicated. "They have various tools and information at their disposal to ensure that their mission won't be a failure, and they also have a lot of time on their hands, so the mission _is_ doable," he put emphasis on the second-to-last word to prove his point.

Taking a deep breath, Monty resumed his speech. "You will be infiltrated as a guard inside the castle during this time, and we will provide you with a weapon that shoots nets. Your job is simply to aid the others in their quest by preventing the guards from catching them. For each player that makes it to the van with the prince, five thousand coins are added to your team pot, and the prince himself is worth five thousand coins too."

"I suppose I have lost some mercantile value over the years," chuckled the prince of the Beanbean Kingdom after Monty's statement. The host gave him a broad smile and continued to explain the rules of the challenge to Boo.

"But as I told you earlier, Boo, you can't be seen by any of the players. If one of them clearly states that they have seen you at the end of the game, the team will be penalized ten thousand coins at the end of the episode, when it is revealed to everyone that you never cheated," Monty Mole warned him.

Boo winced in pain and grimaced at the host's declaration, clearly disgruntled. He looked at the host and asked him a question, tentatively. "What if they catch a glimpse of my face but aren't sure it's me?"

"Then, no money is lost," Monty smiled. Boo nodded slightly, acknowledging the answer, but seemed out of it, as if he was daydreaming.

**Boo** : _This might sound weird to some of you guys, but even though I am a spy, I thought this task would be more difficult than it seemed. I mean, I had to help the players but be wary of them. I was supposed to impede the guards' progress but work with them. Basically, I was a double agent, and whenever I would pull the trigger, I'd have to be extremely careful for both sides could be onto me. _

"Your main task is to help the others, BUT!" Monty suddenly raised his voice which startled both Boo and Peasley. "Seeing as you're separated from the others and can't exactly know what they are doing, you are at a disadvantage, unless you are the Mole." Boo tried to open his mouth to say something, but Monty quickly added something. "If you can trap two players in your nets, then you will earn an exemption."

Boo's eyes widened. "An exemption? Again? No way!" He was ecstatic. Peasley let out an amused chuckle.

**Boo** : _Last episode I was offered a useless exemption, and I failed to get it because of...a certain amount of variables I couldn't really foresee or influence. This time, well... I only have to give up ten thousand coins if my calculations are correct. It's definitely on my mind._

"Keeping in mind that two of you will be executed this episode, you might want to take a chance at it, right?" Monty questioned, not really waiting for an answer. After a minute of silence, he addressed the other two. "Peasley, would you give a tour of the castle to Boo and give him his equipment, please? Don't forget that you have to be in your room by eight o' clock."

"Yes, I remember," the prince grinned. "Well Boo, shall we go?"

Boo smirked a little, already thinking about the upcoming challenge. "Yes, I'm ready!" The Boo followed the prince and together, they walked inside the latter's abode, preparing for an interesting mission.

* * *

_Absolutely sorry for the long hiatus, I think I had said something to that effect in one of my previous author notes, but I was working as a receptionist in a hotel for six weeks. It was an internship I had to do in order to validate my degree and now it's done ! D-U-N as would say a certain big brother contestant. XD_

_Anyways, I have finished this thing Friday and now I only have to write a 20 page document about my experience so I'm back in this wonderful world that is fanfiction (some of you might have realized that I've started reviewing again, I have fallen behind on updates, but I'll try to make up for it)._

_So yes, I present to you the first chapter of episode two ! Thanks for reading and hopefully you haven't forgotten what has happened so far, lolz. *shot*_


	7. Mission Infiltration

**Light Speed508** : Haha ! I guess Monty wasn't that mad about the whole ordeal, but the playrs were still fooled, for the most part ! I'm glad you're already finding clues, and I hope your hunt for the Mole will be fruitful ! Thank you for your support, as usual !

**Guest** : Lol, Boo's still in. :p

**Kaiimi** : Poor Boo, getting ousted first would have hurt. XD I agree with you that it could be seen as suspicious to align with someone, but if you happen to make a coalition and share for example the answers you put up during the quizzes it can help you figure out who the Mole is. And you can always share theories with people, so it can work. When you don't trust your ally though, it usually doesn't work. Thanks for the review ! ^^

**Moley Koopa** : Yup, it was ! Maybe I should have made it a little less obvious ? But it was part of the preview I had put up on my profile so I had to go through with it. :p Being a receptionist is more boring than hard actually. Once you're used to wearing the shoes anyway. *shot* Yup, first was a female, then it was a male, my third French fic was supposed ti have a female mole but since I haven't even finished the second one... But be careful though, I usually pick my cast and then the Mole. Thanks for the support !

**KhaosOmega** : I made a mistake, yeah, it should be Mario Hoops 3 on 3 for you, and Mario Slam Basketball for me. I think I made a mix of the baseball and basketball games. Oh well !

**KingBloo** : I know, sometimes I want to review a story and they tell me to log in. So I do like you and simply leave a review as a guest. :p Thank you for the review ! ^^

* * *

Previously on The Mole, the contestants entered episode two of their game, and for the first time ever, all of them succeeded in not getting eliminated!

_"You know, yesterday I thought I was done for!" Dixie confessed with a laugh, reminding them of the events that took place a few hours ago. "One instant, you're thinking 'Oh my god, I'm going home, this sucks!' and the other, you're like 'I can't believe I'm still in this thing, go me!'" Her last statement provoked a fit of laughter among her companions._

**Shokora** : _Yesterday, Monty Mole talked to me at dinner. He told me to take the questionnaire first, which is exactly what I did. When we were on our way to the room where I was to take my first quiz, he told me that as the leader of the group, I could take everyone with me to the next episode. You see, even though I was exempted and did not have to worry about my personal safety, I thought about what had happened during this episode, and how downhearted I had been when I was informed that I would suffer an unfair penalty during the quiz. So I thought about Dixie and Boo and realized that one of the two would most likely leave the game should I have not agreed to Monty's deal, and since Boo was my main suspect and could have been the Mole in my mind, that meant that refusing this offer would send Dixie home. I didn't want that to happen, she deserved to stay longer in my opinion, so I accepted Monty's terms._

However, their joy quickly shifted to indignation when Monty Mole revealed to everyone that someone had cheated by studying documents located in the producers' room.

_"We have proof that someone cheated and looked at confidential documents hidden within the producers' room," Monty Mole accused. "Because there was a power failure last night, the cameras hidden everywhere inside the hotel did not capture the culprit's face. We would appreciate it if the culprit would please step up and admit to their crime."_

_A wave of protests soon erupted in the small group, the contestants were all riled up at the thought of someone disrespecting the rules and probably putting the whole game in jeopardy._

_"Someone cheated?" Bullet Bill winced. "They better speak up 'cause I won't let them get away with it."_

_"I don't want to play with a cheater," Boo seethed with rage, his voice contrasting eerily with his true emotions._

Magnanimous, the host gave the culprit a chance to confess and left the players behind, prohibiting them from leaving the hotel. None of them knew who had committed such a traitorous act and as such, they simply awaited for something to happen.

_"Should we investigate?" Goombario wondered aloud, glancing at the others._

_"No," Enguarde responded immediately. "It's not our job, plus there's no way they're going to allow us to wander around the producers' room if they want to keep the scene intact. Who knows, the culprit could erase some proofs and it would mess up the investigation."_

_Melody had been silent for a moment. "I think I am going to go back to my room, there's no point in staying in here any longer and we can't leave the hotel. If someone needs me, you know where I am."_

While most contestants were waiting for things to happen, one of them decided to make the most of this interruption and proposed an alliance to another...

_"Basically, I kinda want to form some sort of pact with you, 'cause you're like the one I trust the most in this game," Waitress concluded. "It would be sooo cool if you accepted this offer. And like, it's not like you've got much to lose, is it?"_

**Blanche** : _What I feared the most came true, Waitress did ask me for a coalition. And as you may recall from one of my previous confessionals, I...do not particularly want to associate with her, because she seems to be one of the least knowledgeable people of the show, no offense meant. But at the same time, it's not like I have much to lose since I haven't been able to strike a deal with Shokora so far, so I opted for a compromise._

...and another player decided to go back on their tracks, having noticed something of importance during their lunch.

**Kolorado** : _As I was starting to eat, I realized that there was some kind of weird crumpled paper on the table. At first I didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that it wasn't important... But my sharpened senses told me that there was something mysterious about it, and I was right!_

_Kolorado tried to recall where the paper was located, closing his eyes to concentrate. Suddenly, his eyes fluttered open and he grabbed the crumpled note. Excited, the oldest player in the game immediately unfolded it and read it._

In soon time, the mysterious cheater made their way to Monty Mole's room and admitted to their crime, leaving the game permanently, but allowing that very game to progress. Monty Mole led the nine remaining contestants to the entrance of the Beanbean Castle and explained to them a few things.

_Most of the players cheered, but one of them had a skeptical look on their face. "Do you happen to know where Boo went?" Shokora asked, her facial expression displaying puzzlement._

_Monty Mole nodded his head slightly. "Boo is gone. He was the cheater." Surprised and shocked were the words that correctly described the players' current state of mind._

_Monty Mole rubbed his hands in anticipation, his smile getting larger and larger. "This mission is worth fifty thousand coins, and I like to call it 'Kidnapping'," Monty Mole announced as the others seemed incredulous._

_"Boy, it's a strange name for a challenge, wouldn't you say, old chap?" Kolorado questioned with uneasiness._

_"But it is also very straightforward," Monty Mole pointed out rapidly, "for your next mission is to capture the prince of the Beanbean Kingdom." His sentence provoked an uproar in the ranks of the players._

Once Monty had told the players that their challenge had been approved by Prince Peasley himself, the players calmed down and decided to plan the kidnapping, giving Monty the opportunity to attend to other matters...

_"Hello there!" Monty greeted cheerfully, waving as he made his way to the calm and collected individual. They looked at him with a shy smile and awaited his arrival. "So, maybe I should explain things to you, shouldn't I?"_

_The individual chuckled, raising from his spot. "Sincerely, I had an inkling everything wasn't as it seemed," responded the mysterious person, standing in the shadow of a tree._

_"I assumed so," Monty shrugged. "After all, if you didn't know it was fake, you would have never given your place for a cheater... Right, Boo?" the host asked slyly, winking at the ghost._

Indeed, Boo had never been eliminated for there had been no cheating the previous night. Instead, Boo had been secluded from the players and given a mission of his own.

_Taking a deep breath, Monty resumed his speech. "You will be infiltrated as a guard inside the castle during this time, and we will provide you with a weapon that shoots nets. Your job is simply to aid the others in their quest by preventing the guards from catching them. For each player that makes it to the van with the prince, five thousand coins are added to your team pot, and the prince himself is worth five thousand coins too."_

_"I suppose I have lost some mercantile value over the years," chuckled the prince of the Beanbean Kingdom after Monty's statement. The host gave him a broad smile and continued to explain the rules of the challenge to Boo._

_"But as I told you earlier, Boo, you can't be seen by any of the players. If one of them clearly states that they have seen you at the end of the game, the team will be penalized ten thousand coins at the end of the episode, when it is revealed to everyone that you never cheated," Monty Mole warned him._

_Boo winced in pain and grimaced at the host's declaration, clearly disgruntled. He looked at the host and asked him a question, tentatively. "What if they catch a glimpse of my face but aren't sure it's me?"_

_"Then, no money is lost," Monty smiled. Boo nodded slightly, acknowledging the answer, but seemed out of it, as if he was daydreaming._

And for the second episode in a row, the white ghost was given a chance at winning an exemption.

_"Your main task is to help the others, BUT!" Monty suddenly raised his voice which startled both Boo and Peasley. "Seeing as you're separated from the others and can't exactly know what they are doing, you are at a disadvantage, unless you are the Mole." Boo tried to open his mouth to say something, but Monty quickly added something. "If you can trap two players in your nets, then you will earn an exemption."_

_Boo's eyes widened. "An exemption? Again? No way!" He was ecstatic. Peasley let out an amused chuckle._

**First name : Boo**

Surname : Fanto

Birthday : October 31

Job : Spy

**First name : Shokora**

Surname : Enekora

Birthday : May 19

Job : Politician

**First name : Bullet**

Surname : Bill

Birthday : February 25

Job : Demolition Specialist

**First name : Kolorado**

Surname : Raiver

Birthday : January 19

Job : Archaeologist/Explorer

**First name : Enguarde**

Surname : Espadon

Birthday : December 8

Job : Oceanographer

**First name : Blanche**

Surname : Magus

Birthday : April 22

Job : White Mage

**First name : Melody**

Surname : Pianissimo

Birthday : March 13

Job : Musician

**First name : Dixie**

Surname : Kong

Birthday : June 7

Job : Circus Performer

**First name : Waitress**

Surname : Serva

Birthday : July 4

Job : Waitress

**First name : Goombario**

Surname : Goomarroon

Birthday : September 16

Job : Dojo Owner/Master

7 : Mission Infiltration

As soon as they were inside, the players scrambled to have a seat at the table. If they were going to kidnap a prince, they had to be prepared and for that reason, they needed to elaborate a thoughtful plan. The van in itself was rather big, and looked more like a recreational vehicle than anything else, since it was able to hold ten people as well as other facilities, such as a bathroom and a small kitchenette.

"We have a lot of time on our hands, but I think it would be better to start thinking about our operation right now," Enguarde started, drumming his fins on the table. Melody glared at him but he continued. "Now, I don't expect us to come up with a plan right away, it'd be ludicrous. However, we should study the things that were given to us. What do you say?"

"You're not the boss of me," Melody snapped almost immediately, infuriated that the swordfish was taking charge once again. "Who died and made you king of anything?"

**Melody** : _If there's one thing I can't stand, it's losing. And so far, it would be a lie to claim that Enguarde helped us win the challenges. The way I see it, he is an incompetent fool that keeps on wanting to assume the position of leader within our group, and it doesn't sit well with me._

"Well, I am your leader," Enguarde shrugged simply, a smug smile on his face, as Melody was boiling inside. "What? I don't see anyone trying to take the leadership, so I might as well do it. If someone wants this role, step up and say something." His demand was met with silence.

**Enguarde** : _Actually, the reason why I want to be the leader is very different. If I keep on giving them instructions, and if they do what I say, I keep all of the players on a tight leash, and it gives me a really good opportunity to see who's sabotaging and who's not. This game is all about figuring out who the Mole is, and I believe my strategy will allow me to be victorious in the end._

"I do not believe we necessarily need to be directed by a leader since we are not mindless puppets, but I trust Enguarde will be a good leader and heed our requests, won't he?" Shokora questioned with an arched eyebrow, not letting much of a choice to the swordfish. "And if he does not meet our expectations, we will organize a mutiny."

White Mage nodded her head. "I haven't much of a problem with Enguarde, so I'm fine with him being our leader. For now at least." The pink-haired girl rose from her chair and began to make her way to the mini-fridge, opening it.

"What are you doing, Blanche?" inquired a suspicious Goombario, who was trying to spy on the mysterious player. "Do you have some moley business with this fridge, perhaps?"

White Mage turned to him, her hands on her hips. "Oh please," she scoffed, sounding annoyed, "Since when is giving the team more information a synonym for sabotage? Pray tell, we're all ears, Goombario," she waved an envelope in front of his face, finally dropping it on the table.

The master of the Goomnut Technique blushed, unable to come up with a witty comeback.

**Goombario** : _I think that, my biggest weakness in this game is that I'm...slightly paranoid. Whenever someone does something or says something, I'm always questioning their motives. It's a huge hindrance for me, because I keep on switching suspects all the time._

"It's strange how you know all these tiny things about the games," Dixie grinned at the tall woman that was standing up as opposed to everybody else. White Mage returned the smile, chuckling a little.

"Honestly, I don't know that much. I'm simply observant. For example, look carefully at what we were initially given for this challenge," she let them have enough time to check the different documents that littered the table. "Blueprints and general information about the castle. How exactly can we invent a masterplan with so little information? We can't, which is why I supposed there was more than met the eyes. And obviously, I was right. Why wouldn't someone help me look for useful tools?"

Bullet Bill stood up and raised his hand. "I dunno a thing about strategy," he laughed genuinely. "Might as well help ya, huh?" With a nod of the head, they separated. White Mage went to the bathroom, although she did not expect to find much there, while Bullet Bill inspected the rest of the kitchen area as well as the driving compartment.

"I sense a formidable challenge awaiting us, my friends!" Kolorado exclaimed animatedly, prompting a smile or two on his friends' faces. "Boy, I'm so excited, let's start already!" Dixie sent him an amused glanced.

Ripping open the envelope that White Mage had discovered earlier, the girl with the banana-shaped ponytail found herself staring at numerous images of what she thought was the castle's inside. "We've got pictures here, guys!"

The pictures were handed to every player seated at the table. One of them was a photograph of the entrance of the castle, the players quickly found out about two secret means to enter the building : either by the air duct or by the moat. Enguarde began to open his mouth, but he quickly caught Melody's expression.

"What?"

"Before you start spewing nonsense, I think the only way to enter the castle inconspicuously is obviously by the air ducts. Entering via the moat surrounding the castle is out of the question," Melody asserted.

Enguarde nodded. "That was what I was going to suggest."

"It's located at such great heights though, I don't suppose you have a plan to reach that high, do you?" Kolorado voiced his worries. His other two interlocutors had no idea either, they turned their head toward the castle, evaluating their possibilities.

**Kolorado** : _Haha, I just realized that both Enguarde and Melody often have the same mindset. It's funny and ironical considering they act as rivals in the game._

Waitress yawned, completely uninterested in their exchange. "This is sooo boring," she muttered to herself. "When are we gonna talk about what really matters here?"

"And what would that be, exactly?" Goombario asked, eyebrow raised. "I think it's rather important to determine our entrance point."

Waitress looked at him, clearly unimpressed. "Like, what are you talking about? Nothing matters as much as the prince!" she shouted, before returning to her reverie. "I wonder if he's as good looking as they say princes are..." Her reaction prompted a laugh from Dixie and Kolorado, whereas others like Goombario and Enguarde groaned.

**Dixie** : _Waitress is an interesting character, to say the least. But some of us don't really like her because she's a little... Because she isn't the smartest thing alive._

"People, please. Focus," Shokora demanded in an assertive tone, as she realized that in actuality, very few of her comrades were concentrating. "Everyone here saw the first obstacle we had to face : the guards at the entrance. As seen on the picture and the blueprints of the castle, even if we were to pass through the air duct – which I agree is our safest bet – the guards would probably see us."

Waitress was now resting her head on the table, looking outside of the window dreamily.

"What you're saying is that we need a diversion," Melody made explicit Shokora's argument. Dixie raised her hand, a plan in her head.

"I could always divert their attention with one or two tricks," she suggested. Kolorado scratched his chin, thinking.

"Well, while you definitely could, I don't think it would work," told her the famous explorer. "They would be amused for a few minutes, that's for sure, but we might need more time. And wouldn't you have an easier time climbing the façade of the building?" Dixie confirmed his suspicions when she nodded at him.

**Shokora** : _We had to process by steps. We could not simply decide to barge into the castle, find the prince and return to the van, it would not work. This mission was harder than it seemed, it required us to think ahead and plan to the best of our ability. One little mistake and our game could end differently than what we had foreseen._

"I have an idea," Shokora stated, making everyone turn in her direction. "I may be able to use my background as a former princess to distract the guards long enough for you all to make your way inside the building. What do you think?"

Waitress instantly snapped out of her reverie, eyes wide and shining. "You were a princess? No way! You gotta tell me how it was!"

"It was...very uncomfortable for the most part," Shokora admitted, remembering the time she spent disguised as a cat while her kingdom was dominated by the Golden Diva. "But the kingdom I speak of is long gone."

"An ancient kingdom?" Kolorado immediately sounded interested. "May I have more details, young lass?"

"I'm talking about Jewelia," Shokora replied hesitantly. Kolorado's jaw dropped to the floor in stupor.

"How old are you, exactly?"

"A thousand years, perhaps?" Shokora laughed at his expression. None of the others understood their exchange, they did not possess the sufficient knowledge to make sense of it.

Goombario clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Well, we've figured how we're going to distract the guards and where we're going to enter. What's next?"

…

Boo was inside the big structure that the players were counting on invading for their challenge. The first thing he had remarked upon entering the castle was that it was green, very green. Not the kind of green that people would usually like, it was a bright, fluorescent color, so vivid that it had almost blinded the ghost when he had taken his first glance. Another thing that made the spy raise an eyebrow was the apparent emptiness of the place. The corridors were very spacious, but it seemed like something was missing, not much furniture decorated the place.

**Boo** : _From what I was seeing, I could safely deduce that the others would operate at night. There was no way they would be able to succeed during the day, guards were patrolling left and right and __there was no apparent hiding spot._

"So Boo," the prince started, hoping to strike a conversation with the expert of the game. "How are you coping so far, in the game of The Mole?"

"Terrible," grunted Boo, reminded of the disastrous first episode. "I was offered an exemption that I lost to what's possibly the dumbest player of this season, then no one found my bag during the second challenge, so I'm currently without my luggage, and I was also rewarded with a minus two for failing that same challenge," Boo explained in a monotone voice, causing the former player to chortle.

"I see, you are quite unlucky," noted Peasley, flashing one of his charming grin. Stopping in his tracks, the blonde extended his arm toward one of the rooms on his right. "This is the library, let us go inside!"

"What for?" inquired a puzzled Boo as he took cautious steps toward the library.

"It is one of the rooms that Monty Mole wanted me to show you," Peasley declared vaguely, making an offhand gesture.

**Boo** : _I was wondering how exactly seeing these rooms would help me since I wasn't aware of the others' plan in the first place. But still, I humored him. After all, there wasn't much else to do, was there?_

The library was full of books, exactly like what Boo had imagined. There were a three big tables located at the center of the room, as well as some step-ladders used to reach the highest shelves of the bookcases. A long rope dangled from one of these step-ladders.

"Hey!" Boo exclaimed suddenly as his visage lit up. Peasley glanced at him in surprise, dropping the book he was holding on the floor. "Do you think you could help me with this weapon?"

"Well, that would be my pleasure, but in what ways could I assist you?" Peasley interrogated, an expression of curiosity etched onto his face.

"I want you to stay right here," Boo muttered as he took the time to align his weapon with the prince.

"Boo? You should lower your weapon, there are guards in the castle, and they might think you are trying to...assassinate me," Peasley stopped him, his glance directed somewhere behind Boo's back. The ghost gulped and immediately hid the gun.

"Well, let's resume the visit, I guess?" Boo offered, a shade of red, still embarrassed about his blunder.

…

Inside the van, the players were still trying to make a plan. White Mage was secluded from the rest, looking for clues inside the bathroom. Clues about their game, clues about the game, they were both welcomed for White Mage.

"I thought I would find something," White Mage whispered to herself, shaking her head negatively. "Something that would lead me to the identity of the Mole... The Traitor... No dice, unfortunately."

As she was going to leave the room, she heard a voice that startled her, Bullet Bill's voice to be exact. It was coming from below her, so she decided to look for any kind of mechanism on the floor. Quickly, she realized that the white fabric on the floor could be removed, she did just that and managed to find one walkie-talkie as well as numerous smoke bombs. Smiling to herself, she grabbed the device and spoke to Bullet Bill.

"Thanks for your help!"

"Huh?" came Bullet Bill's surprised voice from the other end. White Mage chuckled to herself and returned to the main room, but not before taking with her the smoke bombs.

…

The black missile was staring at one of the eight walkie-talkies he had discovered under the passenger's seat, convinced that he had heard White Mage's voice. Flabbergasted, Bullet Bill stayed a few seconds still, trying to register what had happened.

**Bullet Bill** : _I was fooling around with the walkie-talkies when suddenly I heard someone speak to me. I thought I was gonna have a heart attack! But it was just Blanche pulling a prank on me, in fact._

Bullet Bill floated toward the others and saw that White Mage had already returned. "Found something, Blanche?" Bullet wondered.

"Yes! I heard your voice in the bathroom, and before you knew it I found a walkie-talkie and smoke bombs!" White Mage seemed enthused as she showed him her discovery.

"Wicked!" Bullet Bill commented, pumping his fist. "That's gonna be useful for sure!"

"This is so awesoooome!" Waitress cheered in a sing song type of voice, already trying to grab one for herself. "Can we try it here?" Shokora immediately put an end to her demands.

"No!" she shouted, a little too abruptly it seemed, as eight pairs of intrigued eyes stared at her in wonder. "We mustn't waste them here. Moreover, if we use them in this confined vehicle, we will get intoxicated by the smoke, and if we open the door, we will attract unneeded attention. I don't need to remind you that the objective is to bring the prince right here?"

**Blanche** : _Shokora means well, but she sometimes appears a bit...bossy, I would say. I know she is a kind and authoritative person by nature, but sometimes her authoritative side overshadows her kind one, and if you don't know her you might take it the wrong way._

"You're no fun," Waitress pouted cutely, sticking her tongue at the princess. Melody rolled her eyes.

"Seriously Waitress, how old are you?" she asked, exasperated by the Toadette's exuberant personality.

"Okay, calm down everyone," Goombario intervened. "She just wanted to have a little fun. Why do we keep getting distracted anyway?"

"Well, my boy, this mission hasn't been that eventful so far," Kolorado pointed out, smiling as he remembered the hectic missions of the first episode. "And we also need a break from planning every now and then. After all, didn't we decide that we were going to raid the castle at night?" reminded the explorer.

"True that," Goombario acquiesced. He was going to ask a question when Waitress voiced her thoughts again.

"I don't care if I can't try one of these," Waitress pointed to the smoke bombs that had been placed on the table, "like, it doesn't really matter. But I totally wanna meet the prince, so you'd better let me visit his room!"

Enguarde almost choked on his saliva as he heard her request. "Err, yeah, as if we'd let you do that on your own, you'd probably screw that up too!"

**Waitress** : _I swear, like, these people are the worst killjoys I've ever met. Like, ever. Oh, and they're also a bunch of hypocrites, do they think I'm stupid enough to forget their really really dumb sabotages? And they blame me for my mistakes? That's totally unfair._

White Mage cleared her throat, attracting everyone's attention. "I was thinking... Waitress doesn't have to go alone. I could come with her to make sure nothing bad happens, not that I think anything will go wrong," she proposed, trying to find a compromise between the stances of Waitress and Enguarde. "Enguarde could come with us too, that way everyone will be satisfied." No one gave her an answer immediately, it took at least half a minute for someone to speak up.

"Fine by me," Bullet Bill shrugged, glancing at the small Waitress and gauging her. "I'm pretty sure she can handle herself, but you could go together."

Melody, however, disagreed with the black missile. The blonde ghost waggled her finger. "We can't afford to have three people in the prince's room at the same time, we might need their help elsewhere. And I don't find that very useful because-" She was cut by the blue-capped Goomba.

"This is the point I was going to make earlier," he began, staring at the map. "We still haven't decided anyone's role, apart from Shokora's. We know the basis of this operation : we enter the via the air duct, we go to the prince's room, we wait until the guards have made their round, we sweep in and kidnap him and then we go back."

"Yeah, this is what we had agreed on," Dixie confirmed, still wondering where the Goomba was going with his explanation. Goombario nodded and continued.

"How do we do all this?"

…

"This is the kitchen area, where our chefs make the finest dishes I have ever eaten," Prince Peasley presented. He was still giving Boo a tour of the castle, so that the ghost would not be lost during the challenge that had already begun.

In truth, there was another motive for the tour, one that Boo would soon understand, and one that the other contestants had yet to discover. The spy's eyes scanned the entire room until they locked onto their target.

The kitchen was exceptionally clean, no tools or utensils could be seen onto the different work surfaces, everything was tidy, except for something that had definitely no purpose on a kitchen : a box full of flashlights.

**Boo** : _As soon as I saw the flashlights, I knew it had something to do with the challenge. And then I tried to remember what I had seen in the garden, in the library and in the conference room. It had come to my attention that in each area, there was something...out of place. Naturally, I thought these things would be useful for the others, but I didn't really know what to do with it._

"Heh," Boo finally shrugged, dismissing the box with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "I should probably leave it here."

"Only one more room to go!" Peasley addressed him enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear. "Then I will only have to show you our sleeping quarters." The prince ushered him out of the kitchen and led him toward his final destination.

…

"Why do I have the slight feeling that we're on a road to nowhere?" Goombario moaned, cursing his friends' inability to agree on anything.

Back in the van, the players were still trying to elaborate a strategy to capture the prince without much trouble. While they were arguing about pointless details, Dixie chose to interest herself in the pictures that they had found earlier. She dismissed the picture of the front entrance, thinking it had already been studied and focused her attention on the one displaying what looked like a conference room to her.

**Dixie** : _Looking at the pictures, I was sure there was something we had overlooked. Since no one agreed with each other, I decided to step up to the plate and do something productive. At first, I found nothing, but thanks to one mistake, it soon changed._

The blonde monkey was looking at the photograph of the conference room when suddenly, she sneezed, dropping the picture to the floor. "Sorry everyone," Dixie apologized as she had startled more than one peaceful soul. As she was reaching for the piece of paper, she let out a small gasp. "Is that...?"

There was something written on the back of the pictures, something that no one had noticed before. Dixie was prompt to shout to get the others' attention. "Guys! Guys! I found something!"

Kolorado was the first to make his way toward the simian figure. As always, the explorer was grinning. "Well, well, my friend! What have got here, mmh?"

Dixie showed him the back of the picture. "Look right here," she told him, pointing a finger where something was written. "On the back of each photo, there's something written. And I think...it might tell us where some useful tools are hidden!" she smiled.

Enguarde grabbed the nearest picture he found, which was the one displaying the library. "So... There's a long rope in the library...?"

"Yes! I'm sure of it!" Dixie beamed. "And there should be guards uniforms in the conference room too!"

"Wow girl, you made a great discovery!" Bullet Bill chuckled, reading the back of the photograph on which the kitchen could be seen. "Apparently, there's gotta be flashlights in the kitchen!" he yelled, confusing some people. "Sorry guys, didn't mean to shout." His cheeks flushed a deep red as he looked away, embarrassed.

Waitress took the final picture, the one representing the gardens of Beanbean Castle. "And there's like, a...key to the basement in the garden?" She tilted her head to the side, her purple pigtails swaying as she did so. "What's the purpose of the basement key?"

"I dunno," Bullet Bill replied sheepishly, having really no idea as to what was hidden in the background. "Might be a trap, eh?"

"We could afford sending someone there," Melody claimed, pulling at her dress. "But... That's not the first of our problems. How do we get inside? We know how Shokora can enter. She will pretend she wants to have an audience with the queen, but the rest of us won't be able to proceed. It would be foolish to claim that we all want to meet the royal family, wouldn't it?"

"But we have the solution!" Goombario realized, as everyone turned to the small Goomba, interested in what he had to say. "Once Shokora is inside the castle, she'll find a way to ditch the guards and reach the conference room...somehow," he trailed off.

"Somehow?" Shokora was not amused as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot against the floor.

Goombario, however, was not in the least intimidated and continued with his plan. "Once in the conference room, Shokora will wear one of the guards' uniforms, then she will backtrack to the library and find the rope." Goombario took a look across the table and immediately grasped the blueprints. "Look at the blueprints, if Shokora brings the material here, Dixie won't even have to leave the air duct!"

"It's true," White Mage noted, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Giving the rope to Dixie should be our main priority because not all of us can clamber up the wall of the castle. If Dixie does have the rope, though, she can lift us one by one and we'll all be able to reach the air duct."

**Goombario** : _I was glad we were finally going somewhere with the plan. It took us a while but we were finally able to put our resources together and come up with a good plan, and that's what team spirit is all about._

Dixie let out a small giggle before saying something. "Let's call this 'Operation : The Sweet Escape!'" Everyone smiled to the lively girl, they had instantly adopted the operation's codename.

"I like it!" Enguarde smiled, giving her a thumbs-up.

…

Shokora looked at her dress and straightened her cape. She had to make a good impression on the guards, to make sure that they would let her pass. The plan was not foolproof and she knew it, one little slip of the tongue and her mission could be jeopardized.

**Shokora** : _We decided as a whole that it was probably better if Dixie and I were to enter first, before our operation even began. I was given a smoke bomb to use whenever Goombario would give me the signal, to distract the guards and allow Dixie to help the others reach the air duct. Goombario had decided to stay behind and monitor us, using the blueprints and the walkie-talkies._

Glancing to the side, Shokora took a glimpse of her blonde friend hidden behind a bush, ready to start when she was. Clearing her throat, the purple-clad woman advanced toward the guards, her head held high. Immediately, the guards blocked the entrance.

"What brings you here?" asked one of the Beanish guard, eyeing the princess suspiciously.

"I am today in your presence to demand an audience with the royal authority of the Beanbean Kingdom," Shokora enunciated clearly, knowing exactly what she was doing. "My name is Princess Chocolat, emissary of Jewelia, a kingdom far far in the east, and I have come to warn the queen of urgent matters." Shokora was staring at them, which made them slightly uncomfortable.

"I have...never heard about a 'Jewelia' place. You're not making that up, are you?" This time, it was the second guard who had spoken up.

"Why, are you calling me a liar, of all names?" Shokora glowered in false hatred. "I should have you thrown in the dungeon. Can't you see that crown of mine, symbol of my social rank? Or do you think that it might be a fake too?" Shokora took a few steps towards the second guard who gulped in anxiousness.

"No Ma'am!" he shouted, scared out of his wits, unblocking the entrance of the castle. "However, Queen Bean is on a business trip to the Mushroom Kingdom and will only come back at a late hour tonight, so you'll have to meet the prince, is that alright?"

"Quite," Shokora nodded, a small smile making its way on her figure. She tempted another glace to her side and realized that Dixie was nowhere to be found. "Well, I will be on my way, then. Thank you for your...cooperation."

Shokora walked at a fast pace inside the Castle, but not too fast, she did not want to appear suspicious after all. Then, she located quite easily the library for it was the first room on her right. Some guards looked at her in surprise, but they did nothing nonetheless, so she headed for that room in order to reunite with Dixie.

"Dixie?" Shokora whispered rather loudly, knowing full well that no one was inside the library. "Are you there yet?" she asked, glancing at the ceiling.

"Yes!" Dixie exclaimed loudly, "I have your walkie-talkie with me right here, head's up!" Dixie removed the panel that prevented her from going down and threw Shokora's walkie-talkie to the princess.

**Dixie** : _When we started the mission, we didn't really have the time to memorize the castle's layout, so we had to rely on Goombario to guide us through the building. Obviously, if Shokora had walked in with a walkie-talkie in her hands, the guards would have been suspicious so I held on it for her and she would come to retrieve it as soon as she could. _

The politician untied the rope that was on one of the step-ladders and threw it upward. Her aim was off, but Dixie had good reflexes and managed to catch it in time. "Okay, I can take it from here!" confirmed the female monkey, flashing a grin. "Good luck for your part of the mission!"

Shokora nodded and left the room at a brisk pace, this time on possession of her walkie-talkie. "Goombario, I'm before the library, where to now?" Her eyes darted left and right, she was very careful and did not want to be caught.

"You have to go straight ahead," came Goombario's voice, muffled by the static. "Once you can't go any farther, follow the hallway and take the second door on your left. Over."

Shokora discreetly put away her walkie-talkie and tried to walk toward the other end of the building as casually as she could. She almost froze when somebody talked to her.

"Hello there!" smiled a guard. "Are you new here? I haven't see you before."

Shokora tried to force a laugh. "Well, that is quite normal, it is the first time I come here after all. I am a guest of the royal family, my name is Chocolat!" She kept on using her false alias for no particular reason.

"Oh! Sorry to have bothered you then! Have a nice day!" Shokora let out a small breath that she did not know she was holding when he walked away, and marched onward to the conference room. She easily located the room and slipped inside unnoticed.

On the long U-shaped table laid a single box, containing the uniforms she and her friends would later wear. The purple-clad politician made her way to the box and peered inside.

"Oh my!" she gasped a little, realizing the box was a little heavy for her. "I can't take everything..."

She took out five of the uniforms and hid them below the table, hoping no one would find them before their mission was over. When she was done, she quickly undressed and folded her clothes neatly, putting them alongside the other three costumes. Then, she donned one uniform and proceeded to walk back to the library without any inconvenience, except her outfit made her feel heavier.

Upon arriving, Shokora called for Dixie. "Dixie, I'm here! Throw the rope, I'm going to tie it to the box."

"Alright!" The blonde monkey let loose of the rope and held tight onto it. "I hope the box isn't too heavy!"

"It was, before I removed several uniforms," Shokora announced casually. Dixie raised an eyebrow but did not make any additional comment, keeping her suspicions to herself.

**Dixie** : _Shokora left some of the disguises behind? Her action made me think, because there was no way the guards would take kindly to intruders inside the castle. Was she faking the weight of the box, or was she not? I had no trouble lifting what she had brought back to me, and I don't think I would have had too much difficulty with twice as much the charge._

Shokora made an hasty but durable knot around the box and pull at the rope, catching Dixie's attention. "I will stay around since it seems the library is the safest place to be at the moment," Shokora told her.

"Okay! Just stay here until Goombario contacts you, we'll do as planned!" Dixie ordered. With one last pull, she was able to get the box in the air duct.

…

Enguarde ran as fast as he could toward the van and threw himself inside in front of six other shocked players. The blue swordfish panted and tried to catch his breath as all of the others were wondering what happened to him.

"Almost got caught," he mumbled.

"I knew it, I knew you'd just mess up!" Melody huffed as she crossed her arms in annoyance. Enguarde grumbled as he turned to face her.

"I said 'almost'. Almost is a synonym for 'nearly', which means not quite," Enguarde smirked, adopting a condescending tone with the blonde musician.

Melody was fuming. "Whatever!" The blonde ghost proceeded to rummage through the box that Enguarde had brought back. A few seconds later, she looked astonished. "I thought there would be more suits than that... There are nine of us and only three of these."

"Yeah, kinda strange but at the same time, I don't really care," Bullet Bill shrugged. "Not like that'd fit me." Enguarde agreed almost immediately.

"Yeah, I'm not going to wear that either. I don't think these costumes were designed for swordfishes anyway," he laughed, trying to put on the suit. "Not only would I look ridiculous, but it would also impede my movements."

"Neither will I," White Mage refused to wear the armor, much like Waitress and Melody after her.

**Enguarde** : _When you looked at it from a logical point of view, it became clear that the costumes would only benefit the girls. And then again, I wasn't not even sure that would work for them._

**Kolorado** : _I'm afraid thinking things though hasn't been our forte so far, we had sent Shokora in the danger zone for nothing, and even though nothing bad had arisen from it, I can't help but wonder : what if? Someone amongst these youngsters is the Mole, and they could have been at work._

"What time is it?" Waitress asked randomly, bored out of her mind. "And when are we gonna start this thing?"

"It's...eight past twelve?" White Mage answered, looking at the time the over was displaying. "I guess it doesn't work anymore, it's been a while since we had lunch."

"No, it's currently seven o' clock and we're going to start 'The Sweet Escape' at ten thirty," Goombario clarified, looking at his watch.

"Does anyone have a deck of cards? We could play go fish or another game if you want?" Kolorado proposed good-heartedly, pulling at his mustache.

…

It was finally time for the operation to begin. Goombario was inside the van, Dixie was inside the air conduct, ready to throw the rope to her friends, and Shokora was inside the castle, ready to throw her smoke bomb whenever Goombario would give her the signal. The other six were in hiding, in bushes located near the air duct, bushes that had welcomed openly Dixie a few hours prior.

"Go!" Goombario shouted through his walkie-talkie, his voice reverberated by the other devices. As soon as he said that line, he walked up to the van's window and spied the scene that happened before his eyes.

At first, Shokora fumbled around with her smoke bomb, but she quickly caught herself and launched it toward the guards, before running away inside the library which had become her favorite hiding place.

"Halt!" yelled one of the guard.

"Who's there?!" shouted the other, peering inside the castle for any sign of the intruder. Dixie took this as her cue to throw the rope to her friends.

"Quick, go go go!" she encouraged them in a hushed whisper, careful not to attract the guards' attention. Melody grabbed the rope almost immediately and was flung forcefully into the air as Dixie pulled hard at the rope. It was a matter of seconds before the musician reached the air duct and helped Dixie with her task.

"You could have been a little gentler," Melody reproached. Dixie sent her an apologetic glance and the two women helped White Mage reach the high air duct. Soon after, Kolorado joined them.

On the floor, only Waitress and Bullet Bill remained, for Enguarde had already departed. Waitress looked at the rope hesitantly. "I don't wanna hurt myself, they're kinda forceful," she murmured fearfully.

"I'll carry you," Bullet offered, a boyish grin spreading onto his face as he held one of his hand toward the purple-haired Toadette. She graciously took it.

"Oh my gosh, I'm on top of the world!" Waitress cheered lightly, she was on Bullet Bill's back as he ascended up the rope leading inside the castle.

**Waitress** : _Bullet is such a nice guy! Like, he totally helped me out when I needed it and he didn't even, like, whine about it. He's one of my favorite players here._

Once everyone was inside, Dixie took back the rope and rolled it up so that it would take less space, she knew they would need it again in the future.

"Ow! This is so not comfortable!" Enguarde complained, bumping into the top part of the conduct. "Goombario, we're all inside!" Everyone tried to huddle next to the swordfish who took a few steps back. "You have your own walkie-talkies guys!"

"Oh yeah, almost forgot!" Waitress giggled.

"Good," was Goombario's response. "Now, I hope you remember your task. Enguarde, Waitress and Blanche, you'll have to hang onto the rope, you're the group who needs to meet the prince and get him out of the castle. This air duct can't lead you directly to him so you'll have to get out at one point, just follow my directions."

"Consider it done," White Mage smiled, running her fingers through her hair.

"Bullet and Dixie, your job will be to deactivate the lights once I give you the go. Just stay hidden until then, okay?" Bullet Bill frowned.

"The lights? What lights?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot you didn't know. Anyway, the room which controls the lights is situated behind the throne room, there's a lever you'll have to pull to get to that secret room. But be careful, the throne room is well guarded!" Goombario warned from the other side of the device.

"Okay," Dixie muttered, not one hundred percent sure about the plan.

**Dixie** : _I didn't really get why we had to go there in the first place, it made no sense to me. But Goombario was leading us, so what could I do?_

"Shokora, since you're the only one who's disguised as a guard, I want you to patrol the castle. We need someone among the enemy ranks in case something doesn't go as plan. So you'll act as a spy, essentially. You will be given several smoke bombs to use as distractions or in case of emergencies, okay?" Goombario explained.

"Yes, it will probably be better if someone works from the inside with no way of being caught," Shokora admitted.

"Yeah, besides, we can always come back to grab you later at the library, you know?" The owner of Goomba Village's dojo chuckled. "And finally, Melody and Kolorado will go to the garden to retrieve that basement key. After that, they will go straight to the basement – don't worry, I'll lead you there."

"But we still don't know what's in the basement!" Melody rolled her eyes. "I don't understand why you want us to explore this castle when our mission is to kidnap a prince. It makes literally no sense."

"Well, we don't need nine people to capture a prince, so unless you want to twiddle your thumbs and do nothing, you'll do as I say, aren't I right?"

"Why you little..."

"Look. The other items in this castle are the flashlights which are apparently in the kitchen, a bunch of smoke bombs in a secret area, but I don't know how to go there, and...tranquilizer guns which are in the armor room."

Melody stayed silent for a moment, musing about what Goombario had told her. "The guns would be far more useful."

"One, you don't know that for sure. Two, the armor room is on the opposite side of the castle, so you can't go to both places," Goombario enumerated calmly. Reluctantly, Melody chose to follow his directions.

"Finally, I had enough of your bickering," Shokora stated through her walkie-talkie. "Shall we begin now that everyone knows what they are to do?"

"Yup, let's go!" Enguarde half-yelled, filled with enthusiasm.

…

Elsewhere, a certain ghost was ready to help his team, but first and foremost, he was going to help himself.

Boo had made his choice. He cocked his weapon and started his silent trek, ready to hunt for an exemption. His smirked widened when he heard through his ear piece that the players were finally starting the mission.

The game was on.

* * *

_And the first mission of Episode 2 begins !_

_I haven't much to say, so have a good read ! And also, I'm wondering, would you like picture clues ? I could always try to make some when I'm not too lazy, you know ? Please tell me in your reviews what you think about this idea. ^^_

_Until next time !_


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